The ongoing discussion between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Tristan Thompson throughout the NBA offseason has been the object of speculations among the basketball community. With the Cleveland Cavaliers receiving a very clear call from LeBron James to exert everything in the NBA team's power to sign Tristan Thompson, the Canadian basketball star now holds leverage in the discussions. While making sure that LeBron James is constantly happy has become one of the main goals of the Cleveland Cavaliers, the NBA team still need to consider the salary cap and the budget.
The root of the hold up in the re-signing of Tristan Thompson with the Cleveland Cavaliers is the NBA star's demand for a max contract. With the current restrictions, the Cleveland Cavaliers could not afford to simply give in to the demand of LeBron James' buddy especially since doing so will cost the NBA team roughly three times the worth they paid for in acquiring Tristan Thompson in terms of luxury tax bills. However, Tristan Thompson and agent Rich Paul remain firm in their demand for a higher pay and a guaranteed contract.
Multiple sources disclosed that the Cleveland Cavaliers actually offered Tristan Thompson a five-year contract amounting to more than $80 million. However, the NBA star refused the offer of LeBron James' team and demanded for more. To appease the NBA star, the Cleveland Cavaliers also set out to provide a one-year qualifying offer to Tristan Thompson - a move that immediately backfired as Rich Paul declared that opting for the latter option will guarantee the departure of the NBA star from the Cleveland Cavaliers after a year.
With these issues in mind, an NBA team is currently speculated to be waiting for the fallout of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Tristan Thompson to be able to swoop in and sign the NBA star right away. This NBA team is rumored to be the Toronto Raptor, which are said to be eyeing Tristan Thompson as a potential member of their roster. More importantly, however, the Toronto Raptors are reportedly more than willing to give Tristan Thompson a deal worth higher than the one the NBA star is currently asking for from the Cleveland Cavaliers.
"The X-factor in Toronto lies off the court, where Thompson's marketability as a homegrown hero dwarfs his marketing ceiling in Cleveland," wrote Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops. He added, "Paul and Thompson have spent a substantial amount of time in Toronto over the years, which has been publicly documented on the agency's Klutch Sports Instagram account as recently as three weeks ago and roughly a year ago with the caption "Toronto Takeover #Klutch #StriveForGreatness."
With no official confirmation from either Tristan Thompson himself or the Cleveland Cavaliers, fans and followers of the NBA team could hope that LeBron James will still be playing with the Canadian star in the next five years.
