UPDATE: Tristan Thompson has reportedly not signed his qualifying offer by the midnight deadline on Thursday night. The Cavaliers and Thompson still can work out a contract, but Thompson gives up the chance to sign a one year deal and become an unrestricted free agent next summer. Check here for more.
The Cleveland Cavaliers and Tristan Thompson have Thursday as the deadline for the forward to sign his qualifying offer and if that doesn't happen, the two sides will likely continue working on a long term contract. Thompson was not in practice for the Cavs to start camp and this comes as LeBron James said he is not too concerned about Thompson's deal or the injuries to Kyrie Irving and Iman Shumpert.
Thompson has until midnight to sign the qualifying offer, which would make him an unrestricted free agent next summer and pay Thompson $6.8 million this season. According to Cleveland.com, the Cavs can move the deadline, but it's "not in their benefit to do so," as that would take away some leverage for the team. The Cavs have reportedly been unwilling to meet Thompson's demands of a max deal or a three year deal at around $50 million. UPDATE: Per Pro Basketball Talk, the Cavaliers are expecting Tristan Thompson to sign his deal and attend practice on Friday. CHECK here for the UPDATE.
James said at media day that he is not getting involved in the Thompson talks and that he is confident that things will work out. James was also asked about the injuries to Shumpert and Irving and he said that the team has depth and will be able to deal without those players right away. The team signed Mo Williams in the offseason and brought back JR Smith and that should help with those players out.
The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that Shumpert had surgery on his wrist and will miss three to four months, while Irving is coming back from knee surgery and likely will miss the start of the season. James said to reporters that he is not worried about the two players and that the Cavs can overcome those injuries.
Thompson and the Cavaliers have been talking about a long term deal, but negotiations have not been going well over the last month or so. According to Ric Bucher at Bleacher Report, Thompson and his camp want a max deal from the Cavaliers and so far the sides have not been able to get close on a number. Bucher writes that Thompson "will not sign a long-term deal" if it's not a max contract and he is "prepared" to sign his qualifying offer, which is a one year deal.
The qualifying offer would make Thompson an unrestricted free agent next summer and Bucher writes that Rich Paul, Thompson's agent, believes they can get a max deal from another team. Bucher reports that Paul considers the Toronto Raptors an option for Thompson and that the team could potentially offer a max contract next summer. The Raptors would have to make some moves to get enough space to make that deal happen, but Thompson is from Canada and could be interested in signing with the team.
Brian Windhorst reported earlier in the summer that Thompson and the Cavs were at a "stalemate" over a contract, as there is not a clear precedent for Thompson's situation. Kevin Love just got a max deal and Thompson is backing him up, so the Cavs may not want to pay up that much money to two players. The Cavs want to keep Thompson and LeBron James has said publicly that he wants Thompson with the Cavaliers long term.
