National Basketball Association (NBA) training camp is underway and there is still no sign of Tristan Thompson. And the longer he fails to come to terms with the Cavs, the uglier it is getting.
Recall that Thompson had demanded a max contract worth $94 million spread over five years, but the Cavs were willing to go by as much as $80 million only. Thompson and agent Rich Paul made a counteroffer of $53 million for three years, but the Cavs didn't seem to find it acceptable as well.
So as it is right now, the only option that Thompson has is to sign a qualifying offer. The problem is that the deadline, Oct. 1, has already passed. The Cavs can, however, extend that deadline which will also limit his negotiating power.
From the looks of it, the Cavs are holding all the aces right now, and Thompson will likely end up joining the team at some point. Thus, the deadline is now categorized a rare case, although the end of it all is seeing Thompson rejoining the Cavs anyway.
With both sides continuing to be on impasse, it could be time for Lebron James to stick his nose in. Everyone is aware that James has the power to sway the Cavs into making decisions, although he says that he doesn't intend to.
Unfortunately, that Instagram post he made recently doesn't seem to agree with the fact that he is somehow trying to send a message to the Cavs regarding the case of his friend Thompson.
But the thing is, Thompson stands not to get that max contract he and his agent have been demanding. Thompson is likely to agree to the qualifying offer and test his real worth in free agency next year.
He claims he can get a $20 million deal with other teams next year should he end up being an unrestricted free agent. From the looks of it, the Cavs are not fazed about the idea, meaning Thompson may likely end up playing his last year in Cleveland unless he is persuaded to stay by some unforeseen force. That includes a player named Lebron James.
