The Cleveland Cavaliers are focused on the upcoming season which kicks off Thursday against the New York Knicks. However, there is still some contract issues the team is trying to work out before tip off as the deadline to get players under contract approaches on Friday. The Cavaliers will need to be opening up their checkbooks a lot over the next two offseason so they are trying to get some things taken care of sooner rather than later and that starts with Tristan Thompson.
Thompson as the opportunity to reach restricted free agency next summer, but Cleveland would prefer not to let that happen. As a result, the two sides are attempting to reach a contract agreement before the Friday deadline which is just over 24 hours away. The Cavaliers held off talking with Thompson while they re-signed Kyrie Irving, brought LeBron James back and traded for Kevin Love. With those roster upgrades in place, the attention shifts to Thompson and according to Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal, the Cavaliers are optimistic a deal will get done.
It is unclear exactly what kind of contract Thompson can garner. The power forward as seen time as both a starter and bench player, but is quickly establishing himself as one of the better young, big men in the league. The fourth-overall pick back in 2011 has a lot of potential in the league, but it is not the kind of max money. This could make contract talks tough. If the two sides fail to reach an agreement and Thompson has a big year, the Cavaliers will be in a tough spot considering they have to re-sign James and Love next offseason. Owner Dan Gilbert is optimistic about everything working out.
"We'd like to sign Tristan long-term to the Cavaliers. I don't think that's any secret," Gilbert said, via the Akron Beacon Journal. "I believe they'd like to do that as well. So we'll hopefully see what happens this week."
Thompson might try and hold out until next offseason for a deal in hopes of earning more money. The Cavaliers want to ink him now to potentially save money. If Thompson does not sign a deal, he becomes a mid-season trade target and could find himself in a Greg Monroe situation where he is forced to sign a qualifying offer.
