No one expects LeBron James to head anywhere despite opting out of his contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers, but the star is trying to send a message to the front office with the move. James has been very vocal about his praise of Tristan Thompson and his belief in the young forward. Now James is making it clear that the Cavaliers must re-sign Thompson if they want him back as well.
According to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders, James wants to ensure that Thompson gets his money in free agency as the forward will be a restricted free agent come July 1. Thompson already turned down one contract from the franchise as he reportedly wants a max deal or something close to it. James wants the same thing for the young player and will not sign his contract until Thompson is back on the books.
According to ESPN, James is not leaving Cleveland and neither is Kevin Love. Brian Windhorst is reporting that most teams expect the forward to stay put despite opting out of his contract. Sources say the Cavaliers plan to offer a max deal to Love that should range from five years and $110 million. That could mean Thompson is not getting a max deal while James will likely return on another one-year contract before getting his money when the salary caps expand in 2016.
The questions for the Cavaliers are the remaining players on the roster. Timofey Mozgov has been picked up for another year. Does that mean Anderson Varejao could be traded for cap space room? The Cavaliers re-signed the center prior to a season-ending injury in 2014 and a deal for Mozgov. Varejao is expendable at this point. An article from RealGM.com reports that the Cavaliers could try and trade the big man since they are in high demand this offseason, but the chances are slim that a deal is done.
Iman Shumpert is currently awaiting a ruling on his future with the team as he approaches restricted free agency. The Cavaliers could try and sign Shumpert for cheap and then just wait and see who makes an offer on him. The same might be said for Matthew Dellavedova. The Cavaliers will make the qualifying offer and then wait to see if it is matched.
James wants more talent on the roster as the Cavaliers are reportedly ready to be over the cap limits. The first priority for the team is retaining the stars that got them to the NBA Finals before reaching for other talent.
