Should Lebron James step in and put an end to contract disputes between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Tristan Thompson?
With training camp here in a matter of days, the seemingly forever issue involving the proper contract that Thompson should have seems to be far from progressing and many believe that a Lebron James intervention could put an end to all of it.
But the question is on whether he should.
James has of course been vocal about his demands and given the choice, he could easily flex his muscle in forcing the hand of the Cavs to give in to what Thompson wants. Both share the same manager in Rich Paul.
Many feel that losing Thompson could impact James' stay in Cleveland and such could happen. But then again, the Cavs are working on a tightrope with their salary budget issues, hence the $80 million five year contract offer. Thompson and his agent want more than that, $94 million in five years to be exact.
Thompson reasons that by next offseason, he would be offered way more than that and possibly walk. He could settle for the $6.8 million qualifying offer but with a threat of saying that it would be his last season with the Cavs.
Assuming that this happens, would it mean that James could be leaving soon too? If so where would he go?
The thing is while Thompson has shown potential, demanding for a max contract at this stage in his career could be a bit premature.
Can the Cavs survive without Thompson? By all means the answer to that is a resounding yes.
How about James? Apparently, it looks like the whole issue is about James and not Thompson. If he ends up agreeing to a qualifying offer, it would not be surprising to find him being traded at some point since he is good as gone anyway. Also, there is the question of loyalty too.
And if Thompson is indeed that good, why are there no teams vocal about getting him? Does this not justify the fact that his case may be riding high on James as well?
