Tristan Thompson and the Cleveland Cavaliers are at a stalemate over a contract extension this summer and Thompson could consider signing his qualifying offer if he doesn't get a long term deal. Thompson's agent thinks a max deal from the Toronto Raptors is possible and this comes as Kyrie Irving is recovering from a knee injury and will miss the start of the season.
The Cavaliers have been one of the most active teams this offseason and the last major piece left undone is Thompson. The team signed back LeBron James, Kevin Love, Iman Shumpert, Matthew Dellavedova, James Jones and JR Smith and also added Sasha Kaun, Richard Jefferson and Mo Williams to the mix. Thompson is the last piece and he is a restricted free agent, but so far no other teams have hinted that they are willing to give him an offer sheet.
According to Pro Basketball Talk, the Cavaliers previously offered a deal for five years and $80 million to Thompson, but his camp rejected that offer. Chris Haynes at Cleveland.com reports that Thompson is looking for a max deal and he feels that his value on the market could get him one down the line. Thompson has until October to sign his qualifying offer, which would make him an unrestricted free agent next summer.
Thompson is looking for a deal around $94 million, which would be the max for him, but the Cavs may not want to go that high. The team already has Kevin Love on a max deal and putting that much money into one position could be tough. According to Ric Bucher at Bleacher Report, Thompson's agent Rich Paul thinks that Thompson can get a max deal on the open market and that they will not sign long term with the Cavs unless the deal is for the max. Bucher reports that Pal "believes" that the Raptors are willing to give Thompson a max deal.
Chris Haynes of Cleveland.com reports that the two sides have not been talking much and there has been "limited to zero communication" over the past month. The negotiations have hit a wall, as there is a $10 million-plus gap between what Thompson wants and what the Cavs are willing to give. Things could keep going until the qualifying deadline and that could spark the sides to come to an agreement, or Thompson likely will sign his one year deal.
Irving is coming back from knee surgery after suffering the injury in the NBA finals and he is reportedly going to miss the start of the season. Haynes reported that sources said that Irving could be out until January if the Cavs bring him back slowly, but another report has the guard coming back sooner. According to Terry Pluto at the Plain Dealer, the team expects Irving to be back "well before January" for the team. Mo Williams likely will start ahead of Matthew Dellavedova with Irving out.
Check here for more on Tristan Thompson and his contract and for more on Kyrie Irving and his injury.
