With the NBA whittling down the number of teams playing on soon, one club that will no longer be playing will be the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs struggled anew this season under first-year and now former head coach John Beilein, a reason why they were not among the 22 teams playing on. That said, the Cavs are now planning for next season, meaning there could be some players on the way out.
There are two-high profile players who may move on by next NBA season. One of them is Tristan Thompson who owns an expiring contract. Throughout this season, the Canadian’s name has been the subject of trade rumors that never materialized. With his season done and over with, most are awaiting if he will move on to another team in free agency.
For Thompson, one requirement is that he gets paid no lower than his last contract. To back that up, the 6-foot-9 cager let his actions do the talking. He is coming off the best season of his NBA career, numbers that can back his value. The 29-year-old forward played in 57 games, averaging 12.0 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists. Without question, Thompson remains a reliable big man that any team could rely on. But the question there is which team?
Thompson was the topic of discussion at the Cleveland Plain Dealer on the “Wine and Gold Talk” podcast recently. According to Chris Fedor, some people believe that Thompson may not leave the Cavaliers. It is no secret that the Cavs want to keep the Canadian in the fold, the chances of which got better when JB Bickerstaff took over from the ineffective Beilein.
Thompson spoke highly of Bickerstaff, calling him as someone who understood players. Moreover, he was even compared to notable coaches, including former Cavs coach Tyronn Lue. That in mind, keeping Thompson may have just gotten better.
Besides, the Cavs do have a daunting frontline if the Cavs find a way to keep them together. Though Kevin Love has been mentioned to be on the block, it now makes sense to keep the All-Star big man. Lastly, there is Andre Drummond. He holds a player option in his contract, something that he may opt to exercise. Under Beilein, it appeared Drummond was all but lost. But even the 26-year-old could change his mind now with Bickerstaff at the helm.
But the first thing that needs to be addressed is Thompson. His contract is up and it will be interesting how the Cavs will convince him to stay.
