Cleveland Cavaliers finally got their man when they re-signed Tristan Thompson to a near-max deal on a contract similar to what the Golden State Warriors gave Draymond Green. Thompson will get $82 million guaranteed over the next five years and the Cavs luxury tax number is projected to hit a historic number approaching $200 million.
With the Cavs locking up Thompson, their roster is set and they are now looking to get completely healthy. Anderson Varejao, Kevin Love and Timofey Mozgov are expected to be on the court in a full capacity soon and Kyrie Irving is making strides towards his return.
Of course, in typical fashion with the Cavs – or any team with LeBron James on it – the eyes are automatically drawn to what’s next and not what’s going on now.
What’s next, in particular next summer, is the impending free agency in the summer of 2016 for Timofey Mozgov. Timo had offseason knee surgery but he went under the knife after the team decided to exercise their team option almost as soon as the season ended.
Mozgov might not be the sexiest pick to get a max contract next season with guys like Mike Conley, Al Horford and of course the biggest fish out there being Kevin Durant but he is an interesting player to possibly be deserving of a max deal. At least some league executives and agents think Mozgov, who is an all-star guest in some hilarious commercials, could command such a deal.
Following from Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal.
Early word in league/agent circles was that Timofey Mozgov could get max next summer. If not a max, after tonight he'll certainly come close
— Jason Lloyd (@JasonLloydABJ) October 22, 2015
Mozgov made a huge difference for the Cavaliers since his arrival in late January of this year. He changed the Cavs defense and his rim protection coupled with his ability to finish the pick and roll made a huge difference for the Cavs push towards the playoffs and into the NBA Finals. He’s a mobile center who protects the rim at an elite level and is likely in his prime so it makes next summer a little more interesting.
The days of a huge center are all but dead in the NBA but Mozgov is an interesting option for a big deal. For the Cavs, do they dare have five huge contracts on the books? The cap is increasing but will it be enough to keep Cleveland from avoiding the repeater tax? Only time will tell and hopefully for Mozgov he will cash out, one way or another.
