NBA Free Agents: LeBron James Says Tristan Thompson’s Contract Issues a Distraction for Cleveland Cavaliers
LeBron James is determined to bring a championship to Cleveland, but the four-time Most Valuable Player admitted that the contract situation of Tristan Thompson is a distraction for the Cavaliers.
Thompson, who became a restricted free agent this offseason, officially became a holdout after declining to sign the five-year contract offer worth $80 million from the Cavaliers. The four-year veteran also had the chance to sign a qualifying offer to stay in Cleveland for one season and become an unrestricted free agent next summer but did not make the move as well.
According to previous reports, Thompson and his agent Rich Paul are demanding for a maximum deal worth $94 million for five years. They also made another offer worth $53 million for three years, but the two sides did not reach an agreement before training camp started.
Following one of their practices, James called the contract dispute a "distraction" as they are preparing hard for a run for the title in the 2015-16 NBA season. He quickly added, though, that they will not make it as an excuse and will continue to work hard to reach their goal in the upcoming season.
"The last thing you need is a distraction when you try to make a championship run," James said via ESPN. "And we have that right now. And it's unfortunate for both sides that we're going through it right now as a team. It's not an excuse, we will be ready to go but hopefully something happens in the near future."
James, who shares the same agent as Thompson, has been lobbying for a long-term deal for the 24-year-old power forward. On Saturday, James posted a photo of him with Thompson after attending their friend's wedding in Miami. The photo has an intriguing caption: "Get it done!!!! Straight up. #MissMyBrother."
When asked about the Instagram post, James said that he just expressed hope the contract dispute will be resolved quickly and reiterated again that Thompson is a big part of their team.
"Hopefully some resolve can happen sooner than later," James added. "You know, obviously, we continue to say, I continue to say how his value to us is extreme, as we saw last year in the postseason, throughout the season."
Thompson averaged 8.5 points and 8.0 rebounds during the 2014-15 regular season. He also made huge impact during the playoffs after starting power forward Kevin Love went down with a season-ending shoulder injury during their first-round series against the Boston Celtics.
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