The Cleveland Cavaliers continue to spice up the NBA offseason as they never seem settled with the roster they have in place. Knowing they have LeBron James for possibly just a year despite the forward denying he is leaving any time soon has the Cavaliers pushing every move they could possibly make to build a championship roster. They have already decided to deal the last two No. 1 overall draft picks and could be seeking more trades in the future.
For those keeping track at home, the Cavaliers have had the best offseason of any team. The re-signed Kyrie Irving, got James in free agency, traded for Kevin Love and are still not done making moves. According to Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors, the Cavaliers are considering making Tristan Thompson available at some point in the near future. The big man has certainly been productive for the Cavaliers, but if the team has a chance to get someone better, they will take it.
The 23-year-old will become a restricted free agent next summer and the Cavaliers are attempting to determine whether or not to sign him to an extension or possibly trade him. Myron believes Cleveland could let the market dictate what they do. Cleveland is unlikely to give Thompson an extension this offseason with all the other moves they are making and it would make it more difficult to trade him. It is likely the Cavaliers will leave the door open for a trade and possibly deal him before the season or during the mid-year trading period.
Right now, a deal for Thompson is favored over a trade involving Dion Waiters. Thompson was involved in the original Love talks along with the guard, but both survived the move. Waiters is expected to be a starter for Cleveland while Thompson will be coming off the bench making him more expendable. James has been giving out praise for both Thompson and Waiters, but that will only go so far when it comes to potential trades.
Getting Love also makes giving Thompson up much easier for Cleveland. James believes that once the move is finalized, the Cavaliers have the final piece they need to contend for a title. The team is still in talks with both Shawn Marion and Ray Allen about accepting a smaller veteran's contract, but even without them the Cleveland roster is still impressive.
"If he comes aboard, I will be very excited to have him," James said, via ESPN.com. "I don't even really care about the 26 [points] and 12 [rebounds], I care about his basketball IQ. His basketball IQ is very, very high. I had the opportunity to spend 32 days with him in the 2012 Olympics. He was huge for us ... he's a great piece."
