The Cleveland Cavaliers are still working on bringing in Tristan Thompson on a contract extension and LeBron James is hoping the sides are getting closer to a deal and it comes after the Cavs brought back JR Smith and signed Sasha Kaun, who will be on the roster to give some depth behind Timofey Mozgov.
The Cavaliers and Thompson have not been able to come to an agreement on an extension yet and the last report on progress had the sides at a "stalemate." According to ESPN.com, Brian Windhorst reports that the Cavs and Thompson have hit a wall in talks, as Thompson's situation doesn't have any precedent and that has made finding a suitable number for a contract tough. Steve Kyler at Basketball Insiders reports that Thompson rejected a deal at $80 million over five years earlier in the offseason.
--UPDATE: Kyrie Irving may not be ready for the season after dealing with a knee injury in the NBA finals. Cleveland.com sources report that Irving could wait until mid-season to make his debut. Check here for more.
There were reports early in the summer that the Cavs and Thompson reached an agreement at $80 million, but clearly those reports were premature. LeBron James has mentioned Thompson by name in media interviews and he is hoping that a deal can get done. Thompson is in a tough situation, as he has the talent to be a very highly paid player, but he is not likely going to start with Kevin Love in Cleveland already. The Cavs have spent a ton of money this offseason and Thompson is the last major piece left on the market for the team after signing Smith.
James also mentioned JR Smith by name earlier this offseason and James took to social media to applaud the move to bring back the guard as a free agent. Smith announced on social media that he was returning to the Cavaliers and it came after Smith opted out of his contract after last season. The Cavs reportedly were not happy about that, but now the sides have agreed on a new deal for the guard to return. Chris Haynes at Cleveland.com reports that the deal is a two year contract and it has $5 million for this season and a player option in the second year.
Smith was a very solid addition for the Cavs last season and he came over in a trade with the New York Knicks along with Iman Shumpert. The Cavaliers wanted to bring back Smith and he comes in after averaging 12.7 points with the team in 46 games after coming in the trade. Smith also averaged 12.8 points and 4.7 rebounds in the playoffs and he will provide depth with Mo Williams on the roster.
The Cavaliers have also made another addition with Sasha Kaun, who is coming in after playing overseas in Russia. Kaun was a 2008 draft pick by the Cavaliers and the team held his draft rights and according to Fox Sports, Kaun is in on a two year deal for the team. Kaun previously played under David Blatt on the Russian National team and he comes in to provide some depth behind Timofey Mozgov this season. Last year Kaun averaged 9.9 points and 4.5 rebounds per game while playing in the Euroleague.
Check here for more on the Tristan Thompson deal, the JR Smith contract and more on Kaun coming in.
