Tristan Thompson is playing on borrowed time. The veteran big man has one more year remaining on his current contract, meaning a trade is all-but inevitable at some point in the near future. Thompson is a valuable asset to any roster and considering the Cleveland Cavaliers are constantly looking for one or two more roster upgrades to secure their championship dreams, the forward is the easiest player to move. Could a deal with the New York Knicks be an option before the year begins?
ESPN's Kevin Pelton was asked by SportsNation if the Cavaliers could seek out a trade for Knicks shooting guard Iman Shumpert in exchange for Thompson. A fan suggested a sort of three-team deal that would help the Cavaliers acquire the guard plus Denver Nuggets center Timofey Mozgov. The Knicks could get a better power forward in Thompson and clear up a big jam at shooting guard right now. The Cavaliers would have to give up more than just Thompson, but would help their defensive woes heading into the season.
Pelton agrees that the deal would make sense and solve several issues for multiple teams, but is extremely unlikely right now. Thompson has an expiring deal, but the Cavaliers look poised to keep him for the duration of the contract. He is a valuable player coming off the bench for LeBron James and Kevin Love with the potential to start if needed. Yes, the Knicks need to get rid of a shooting guard and Shumpert appears to be the player they are most willing to dump, but the Cavaliers need defense at this point, not offense. New York would prefer to take an expiring contract in exchange for Shumpert, but they would demand more than just the veteran.
The Nuggets appear unwilling to give up Mozgov this season. They acquired Arron Afflalo in the summer, having no need for any sort of shooting guard in the trade. Denver is aware that Mozgov has high value at the moment, but they prefer to retain the center until the perfect trade comes along. The Cavaliers have shown interest in him given the Russian national team member's connection to Cleveland's head coach, but the deal simply would not work out.
If a trade of Thompson is coming, it likely will not take place until mid-season. The Cavaliers have a healthy Anderson Varejao to play alongside James and Love and they will stick with that until postseason depth needs to be added.
