After signing Matthew Delladedova, Tristan Thompson is the next player that the Cleveland Cavaliers are bound to focus on.
To date, there is no official word on the status of Thompson's contract; although there is one man who believes that he will eventually re-sign — Lebron James
Thompson is a restricted free agent and apparently, the holdup is because of the financial side of the said contract.
Thompson was reportedly seeking a max deal before his previous contract ended; and such became a problem for the Cavs who have been trying to work their way around the dreaded luxury tax penalty.
It is believed that Thompson will be offered an $80 million deal spread over five years, something that was seconded by Marc Stein of ESPN.
With Thompson still unsigned, the Cavs center has reportedly drawn interest from several teams. Such include the Portland Trailblazers and the Philadelphia 76ers who were, curiously, the same teams vying for Brendan Haywood before.
The Blazers eventually got Haywood, as well as Mike Miller; although it is believed that they may waive Haywood who carries a stiff $10.5 million contract with him. The same case holds true for Miller.
But back to Thompson, the 6-foot-9-inch player did make a good account for himself playing center and forward last season. And with that in mind, it seems enough reason for the fourth overall draft pick to seek higher pay, something that James believes he deserves.
James and Thompson are managed by the same agent and most likely, the former knows a lot more about the issue than anyone does. And as far as Lebron James is concerned, Thompson is undoubtedly a key part of the Cavs' campaign next season.
Despite a contract not being signed yet, it doesn't look like Thompson is heading or playing for any team other than the Cleveland Cavaliers next season.
