The Cleveland Cavaliers need all the help they can get and get back on track. The exit of LeBron James did hit the team hard and now the search for a new franchise player is on. One player who may not fit that billing is Tristan Thompson who has become more of a distraction to the struggling ballclub.
Making things worse is the fact that Thompson isn’t even playing. He is undergoing rehab for his injured foot and yet he has managed to make headlines for all the wrong reasons. The 27-year-old was caught cheating on Khloe Kardashian, the mother of his child True Thompson and both went separate ways last month.
At the time, it was Jordyn Woods singled out as the one making out with the Canadian big man. Woods is best friends with Khloe’s step-sister Kylie Jenner and everything just went haywire from there. And with that yet to be settled, Thompson is at it again. He was spotted in New York City with a new mystery woman, someone identified by People.com as model Karizma Ramirez.
Seeing how frustration is growing over in Cleveland, the whole Thompson issue is reportedly something that team members are not too thrilled about. It is apparent that they need the 6-foot-10 cager on the floor so getting well and back in shape is something they would rather hear about than his off-court adventures, Cavaliers Nation said.
“Tristan is frustrating his teammates with his off the court drama,” a source said to HollywoodLife.com. “The Cavs have been struggling all season long and Tristan’s off-court drama is not helping the energy in their locker room. … His injury has kept Tristan off the court for over a month and players are getting frustrated with how busy he has been playing off the court. He is becoming a distraction and that is not good for his teammates or their locker room.”
With the season lost, it will be interesting to see if the Cavs will have prolonged patience in Thompson. He is due to make $17 million this season and then $18.5 million next season before he becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2020.
For this season alone, the Cavs hardly got any mileage for him. It could be a different story next season although it comes with distractions. Will he be the next Cavalier to go in the offseason?
