Tristan Thompson has been among the most impactful players on the Cavs this postseason. Thompson’s knack for creating second opportunities on the offensive end is key for the Cavs, and without him on the roster it’s very possible the team would not have made it to the finals.
Thompson is one of the most important players on the team, and he wants to get paid like it.
From Bob Finnan of the News-Herald,
His agent has let it be known that Thompson wants a max deal, or close to it. He turned down in the neighborhood of a four-year, $52 million deal last October. The question is whether the Cavs want two max players at the same power forward position. In this case, they probably do.
As Finnan pointed out, Thompson rejected a very substantial 4-year, $52 million deal. This shows that he’s looking for a very lucrative deal. However, earlier in the season there were reports that Thompson and the Cavs were at a stalemate in regards to contract negotiation. The Cavs may have their doubts about giving Thompson a max deal(or close to it) because really, he is a role player, and giving a role player a max contract is unheard of. Thompson is excellent on the boards. In the playoffs he has averaged 10.7 rebounds per game, 4.4 of which have come on the offensive end. He’s the best offensive rebounder in the league. But that’s just about all that he excels at. Role players are very important(especially when they are the best at what they do), but it may be difficult to justify giving one a max contract.
Currently, Thompson is making around $4 million per year, which is a huge bargain for the Cavs. Had he accepted their offer last offseason, he would be making $13 million per year, which seems like a pretty fair price. The fact that he turned that down and is looking for something near a max shows that he knows how valuable he is to the team. The team can’t underestimate Thompson’s value; losing him would be an enormous blow, but they also have to think about the fact that Kevin Love, an all-star caliber power forward, will also want a max deal should he stay.
The Cavs have a tough offseason ahead of them. The weakness of their bench has been revealed by the Warriors, so they are going to want to acquire some quality role players to increase depth. However, keeping LeBron, Kyrie, and Love on board is no cheap task. If Kevin Love walks, then Thompson will have more of a chance of getting the max contract he desires.
