The Cleveland Cavaliers and Tristan Thompson have been in a stalemate regarding the contract of LeBron James' buddy since the beginning of the NBA offseason. With the Canadian basketball star demanding a higher pay and the NBA team unable, or unwilling to succumb to the deal, the two parties have been stuck in the negotiating table while the rest of the Cleveland Cavaliers players train.
As things stand at the moment, Tristan Thompson is at the brink of losing a potentially ludicrous career alongside LeBron James due to the absence of a concrete plan regarding his future. Moreover, the return of Kevin Love in the Cleveland Cavaliers this NBA season might prove to be disastrous in the plans of Tristan Thompson to bag a more expensive deal this year.
To recap, Tristan Thompson is gunning for a max deal worth $94 million which would guarantee him a five-year contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers. When that deal did not pan out, Rich Paul, who is the agent of both LeBron James and Tristan Thompson, allegedly sought a three-year contract worth $53 million. With these figures in mind, Tristan Thompson is set to earn roughly $17.6 million annually if the Cleveland Cavaliers agree to the three-year deal. However, the NBA team can only reportedly offer $80 million for a five-year contract which would give the Cleveland Cavaliers star $16 million per year. With the NBA regular season mere weeks from now, it remains to be seen whether or not the Cleveland Cavaliers will attempt to dethrone the Golden State Warriors with Tristan Thompson in the basketball team.
At the moment, the consensus among the members of the NBA community and the basketball analysts is that the price Tristan Thompson is aiming to take home is just too "steep" for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Moreover, it looks like LeBron James might be distancing himself from the issue.
"I try not to get involved in that, as far as what the team is speaking on or talking about," shared LeBron James, referring to the stalemate in the negotiations between teammate Tristan Thompson and the Cleveland Cavaliers. The former Miami Heat star added, "It's basically more on a personal level, asking him how he's doing and if his mind is right and things of that nature. There're a lot of things that's much bigger than basketball, even though I know he would love to be here right now and we would love to have him here, but I kind of stray away from that."
