NBA Free Agents Rumors: Tristan Thompson Could Accept Qualifying Offer from Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland Cavaliers forward Tristan Thompson has yet to get a new contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers, fueling speculation he could just accept the qualifying offer from the Cavs.
According to Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Thompson is still talking to the Cavaliers about a new deal, but no agreement is imminent at this point.
If the Cavaliers and Thompson fail to find a common ground, the 24-year-old power forward could just accept the $6.8 million qualifying offer from Cleveland.
In the event Thompson agrees to accept the qualifying offer, he could run risk of getting a much-lower deal next summer if he fails to perform well or sustain a major injury.
But on the other hand, it could work well for him because he will become an unrestricted free agent next offseason, which means he could accept a lucrative deal from another team without giving the Cavaliers the right to match.
Thompson is currently a restricted free agent. He could still sign an offer sheet from another team, but the Cavaliers will just have to match the offer in order to keep him.
Thompson, who was the fourth overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, was reportedly on the verge of signing a five-year deal worth $80 million, but his camp eventually asked for an $85 million contract.
The former Texas standout averaged 8.5 points and 8.0 rebounds in 82 regular-season games. The four-year veteran also stepped up in the playoffs as he averaged 9.6 points and 10.8 rebounds, and played a key role for the Cavaliers after starting power forward Kevin Love went down with a shoulder injury.
Cavaliers superstar LeBron James has voiced out his support to Thompson over the past several months. Last month, James said that the Cavaliers should bring back Thompson, and also expressed hope J.R. Smith will also get another run in Cleveland.
"We still got to re-sign Tristan," James told reporters. "Hopefully we can bring back J.R. as well and see if there's some other free agents out there that'd love to come here and play if we're able to do that. Right now, we've been doing so far, so good."
The Cavaliers are still negotiating for a new deal with Smith. Their other free agent, Matthew Dellavedova, recently signed a one-year deal to stay in Cleveland.
Previous reports also indicated that the Cavaliers are also in talks with Russian center Sasha Kaun. The Cavaliers, who holds the rights to Kaun, could offer up to $1.2 million to the 30-year-old center for the upcoming season.
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