Tristan Thompson and the Cleveland Cavaliers seem to be far apart as far as agreeing to a contract is concerned but general manager Daniel Griffin is staying positive that a deal will materialize soon.
Rumors have it that Thompson had already been offered a five-year contract which would pay him $80 million but it seems that the forward is seeking a max deal. Apparently the Cavs may be unable to do so considering they already have three players with max deals.
Such is seen as the reason why Thompson has yet to re-sign with the Cavs even though Griffin made it clear that the team wants him back next season.
To recall, re-signing Thompson was one of the conditions that James placed on the table before he would do so himself but it seems all that is moot with James renewing for a two-year pact worth $42.1 million. The deal allows James to opt out once again next year when the NBA salary cap is expected to spike.
Going back to Thompson, there is no timetable on when both sides can come to a compromise. A good sign is that Thompson has not talked to other teams yet, somehow signifying that he wants to return to the Cavs' fold. Could James have something to do with it?
James and Thompson are handled by one person – Rich Paul – and it seems that with both players under one handler, Thompson's decision will eventually depend on what Paul (and James?) tells him to do.
Another player that the Cavs want to bring back is J.R. Smith. Smith of course opted out of his last contract and unlike the rest, may have issues if he is to seek the same pay he previously got. Smith walked out of his $6.4 million contract to obviously seek higher pay.
Though J.R. Smith has not been linked to any team just yet, the Cavs are hoping to strike a deal with the swingman as well.
If the Cavs are going after Smith, does this douse water over their plans to acquire Joe Johnson? Or could the Cavs have resorted to Smith since the Brooklyn Nets did say that they planned to keep Johnson after buying out Deron Williams' contract?
