The Cleveland Cavaliers are working to get Tristan Thompson back on a contract extension this offseason and with the Toronto Raptors reportedly willing to offer a max deal, Thompson may sign his qualifying offer instead of a long-term contract. The Cavs could consider a trade one day if the sides can't agree and in the future the team could target players like Markieff Morris, Nick Young, Danny Granger or Kevin Martin with the trade exceptions they have.
The Cavaliers previously offered Thompson a deal worth $80 million over five years, but that was rejected, according to Chris Haynes at Cleveland.com. Thompson is looking to get paid a max deal, but the Cavs may not want to go that high with Kevin Love also on the max. Ric Bucher at Bleacher Report wrote last week that Thompson's agent Rich Paul is looking for the max and that he "believes" Thompson can get a max deal with the Raptors next summer.
Thompson's deal is a big issue and it could play into what else the team does this season. The Cavaliers also have trade exceptions to use this season after the deals they made with the Blazers for Brendan Haywood and Mike Miller. One intriguing name to consider is Markieff Morris, as he is a young, athletic forward that could fit in with the Cavs. Morris is an unlikely option at this point, but he has made it clear that he wants out of Phoenix and a deal could happen before camp.
Morris is on a pretty affordable contract and if he continues to make a stink about being with the Suns, Phoenix may just trade him to not deal with the headache. Cavs Nation put together some other options that the team could look at down the line and names like Markieff Morris, Nick Young, Jamal Crawford, Chris Andersen, Mario Chalmers, Danny Granger, OJ Mayo, Channing Frye and Kevin Martin were all mentioned as possibilities. Last season the Cavs basically changed their trajectory with the trades they made, as the team was solid but not a championship contender until they made additions to the roster.
Check here for more on the Thompson contract or for more on the Cavs potential trade options. Check here for more on Morris and the potential fit for the Cavaliers.
The Cavaliers traded for Iman Shumpert, JR Smith and Timofey Mozgov and those three players were key to the turnaround for the Cavs. The team was heading to the playoffs and was right there in the mix in the central division around November and December, but the Bulls were leading and the Cavs were inconsistent. Mozgov helped add a huge defensive presence that changed the front court, while Smith and Shumpert played their roles to perfection and helped give the Cavs depth. New deals could do the same this year if the team identifies some weaknesses.
The Cavs have made a number of moves already this offseason with new players, adding Sasha Kaun, Mo Williams and Richard Jefferson on deals. The team also signed back LeBron James, Kevin Love, Matthew Dellavedova, JR Smith, Iman Shumpert and James Jones. Right now the team is basically set and trades are unlikely, but down the line injuries and other issues could arise that make deals necessary once again.
