Johnny Manziel’s future, plus previewing the Browns first pre-season game – WFNY Podcast – 2015-08-10
August 10, 2015Josh Gordon not pleased that old DWI reports resurfaced
August 10, 2015Earlier on Monday, Brian Windhorst noted that there was “no real progress” made between Cleveland Cavaliers restricted free agent forward Tristan Thompson and the team since the second week of July when free agency opened.
However, in a shift, Rich Paul (Thompson’s agent at LRMR) has told Toronto-based Sportsnet that Thompson is preparing to sign the one year qualifying offer, which means that he would be a Cleveland Cavalier for the 2015-2016 NBA season but an unrestricted free agent next summer.
Tristan Thompson signs qualifying offer with #Cavs and will become a free agent next summer http://t.co/52rSVbFkga pic.twitter.com/7K8iOfS9HU
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) August 10, 2015
To make the news a bit more dramatic, Rich Paul also indicated that Thompson signing the qualifying offer would mark his last year as a Cleveland Cavalier.
"All I know is TT on Qualifying Offer will be his last year with the Cavs" — Rich Paul on Tristan Thompson negotiations.
— Michael Grange (@michaelgrange) August 10, 2015
If Thompson signs the QO, the Cavs would hold his Bird Rights and thus have the ability to go above the salary cap to retain him next summer. But with the Cavs payroll already skyrocketing into the uppermost regions of the luxury tax, and with the ballooning salary cap giving other teams more money to sign a player such as Thompson in July 2016, it would not be surprising to see Paul’s statement become true.
However, Cavs beat writer Chris Haynes lends some credence to the idea that this news is mere posturing by Paul in the hopes of getting a deal done as he indicates that pen has not actually been put to paper yet. Thompson and the Cavs were reportedly near a five year, $80 million dollar deal a few weeks ago, but it is possible that LRMR is hoping to get Thompson closer to the 5 year, $94 million maximum contract by utilizing this bit of leverage.
Tristan Thompson signing QO w/ #Cavs hasn't been decided yet, I'm told. But if he signs it, told it would be last season he plays as a Cav.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) August 10, 2015
Thompson, the fifth place finisher in the Sixth Man of the Year voting, saw his value rise during the Cavs’ 2015 NBA Playoffs run. When Kevin Love was injured in Game 4 of the first round against the Boston Celtics, it was Thompson who was called upon to fill the void.
Thompson was a key component of the Cavaliers transforming from a high-octane offensive juggernaut in the regular season to the gritty, defensive team that grinded its way to the NBA Finals matchup with the Golden State Warriors.
The Cavaliers ultimately fell short of a NBA championship in 2015, but the team is undoubtedly better having key reserve players with the talent of Tristan Thompson than it would be without such players.
Whether or not the team will have Thompson beyond the next season now might remain to be seen.
32 Comments
Get a ring next year and we will worry about next offseason when it comes.
I hope you are happy with yourself RGB this is all your fault!
But seriously I think this is more about Thompson going back to Canada and playing for the Raptors then anything. Personally I’m not sad I was never sold on him. I just hope we see him finish his time in Cleveland playing as hard and tough as we did a year ago. I hope we don’t see him revert back to his more gentler side. I’m guessing since he’ll want to chase those $$$ he’ll stay motivated enough.
You think he’ll get more than 80/5?
I’ll take that bet. đ
ie. Go where ever the hell he wants.
did you see the FA deals this summer? and, then realize that the cap goes way up next summer. NBA GMs flashing bills like they Brewster.
I have no idea but as mgbode just said it’ll be rainin’ men as in Benjamen’s next year in the NBA so anything is possible. But if it will make you feel better we can wager a
https://www.trophycupcakes.com/sites/default/files/styles/standard_cupcake_detail/public/cupcakes/cupcake-red-velvet.jpg?itok=j3gpboNs
https://melgibstein.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/brewsters-millions.jpg?w=640
Even at the elevated salary cap, he’s not worth 80/5.
But, we’ll see if anyone wants to overpay for a dude who can barely score.
http://stream1.gifsoup.com/view2/20131211/4921237/gollum-guessing-o.gif
DeAndre Jordan = 4 years / $87 million w/ people literally holing up in his house to make sure they get him at that price.
I don’t see how this is bad for the Cavs. If he gets hurt, they’re good. If he plays great, they can still offer him more next year, and they saved some money this year. If he plays average, he’s probably not worth the huge tax hit on a team where his minutes will be limited, but again, they can outbid anyone. And if he regresses, then thank God they didn’t lock him up long-term.
We’ll see.
Apparently, LBJ, errrrr, David Griffin agrees with me. đ
No worries. I like Tristan Thompson on this Cavs team and would love to keep him as the backup 4/small-ball 5, but his value is much higher as a Cleveland Cavalier than it is anywhere else. It’s possible some sucker who isn’t Dan Gilbert will have to pay him like a star for 4 years to find that out. Then he can come back to the Cavs with some good years left in the tank and make a reasonable amount of money given his skill set.
The only way it could end badly for the Cavs is if he develops an offensive game in the offseason, actually becomes irreplaceable somehow, and then turns down more money here to sign elsewhere. And you know what, if that happens, oh well. Dude wants to ride his one hot playoffs to a max contract. We’ve been bitten by that bug before. Can’t blame Griff for not wanting to take that risk. We’ll see what kind of money he commands from a team that doesn’t have Lebron, and how good his game looks without Lebron.
Any word on Sybil, and his contract hunt?
Umm…reportedly, Griffin offered 80/5 and it was Tristan who backed away from that table. NBA $$$ is just silly.
Those pipe-fitting union dues are a killer.
https://waitingfornextyear.com/2015/04/j-r-smith-joins-local-pipefitters-union/
I just don’t see him developing an offensive game substantially different than this. He’s like Andy: his numbers benefit from being free to roam and clean up garbage while opponents keep an eye on others, but no matter how hard he works his body doesn’t do jumpers. What he does bring is a big body impervious to injury, something this team needs badly, and (finally last season) relentless effort. I don’t know what that’s worth in 2017 and beyond. Ungodly sums are going to be divided among the same number of players. It’s always possible Rich Paul is exactly right as to what that market will bear.
hundred.
how is that bad for the Cavs? If everything you say actually happens, they will waltz to the title. At that point, LeBron could go to the Steelers and I would be ok with it.
I did not hear anyone go after him this year, so why will they next year? and by next year this time, Cavs should have a ring
I’m pretty impressed with this little thread here, Ez, J, Harv, and sag. Good stuff.
Do you think J.R. is Tristan’s advisor?
Maybe he will chase the dollar and when he’s older, he’ll look back and regret that he’s got 50 bazillion dollars and no ring instead of 40 bazillion and a handful of rings.
Yeah, it’s the same old song, but we working stiffs will never understand how a guy who was living on mac and cheese three years ago can suddenly decide that 40 bazill ain’t enough.
Wait til Cupcake goes to pay those brick-layer dues.
That’s what I mean. Cavs FO agrees with me, and is standing pat on their very generous offer.
yep – we’ll never ever understand. But I’m sure ego has a lot to do with it. If I’m TT, I take the QO and sign a max deal next year. It’s a win/win for Gilbert and himself.
he was an RFA, for one, and every other team just figured it was a formality that he would re-sign with Cleveland so they spent their money elsewhere. Now, there aren’t any teams left (maybe one or two) with the space to sign him.
If anyone has the work ethic to develop a part of his game thought to be otherwise impossible, it’s TT. Nobody’s asking him to become a stretch 4, but if he could just widen his range ever so slightly… Andy did just that – when his body couldn’t take the banging underneath anymore, he became money from the elbow. If TT could become a more durable version of Andy, that would be fantastic.
Agreed – if you told me that we would win the title but lose TT after, I’d take that deal yesterday. But if a more polished, well-rounded TT doesn’t lead us to a title and still bolts, then it’s bad. Very bad. As bad as losing the list.
(sorry, that last part is from an old SNL skit)
Agree, although Andy at 24 years old was considered pretty durable also. To me Andy is instructive for the opposite reason: after a decade of hard work his elbow jumper is hardly reliable, he doesn’t even try it unless he’s unguarded. On offense Tristan looks more like a slightly less hopeless Mark West. May work his tail off for years to get that ugly pushie thing to drop at an ok clip, but they’ll never run a play for him that doesn’t involve his roll to the hoop while attention is diverted. Again, that’s fine. I’m just unsure what the market rate will be for that.
Unfortunately, as we see in every season, there’s always someone willing to pony up. Especially with the extra money available next year.
I think I read yesterday that there are probably only 1 or 2 teams (76ers was one) that have the cap space to sign him this year. But with the cap space going up next year, a bunch of teams will be able to do so.
But most people think that was a bad contract and almost no ones believes that anyone besides Detroit would have offered him that.