Despite the conventional thought that he's a lock to stay with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Tristan Thompson remains unsigned, and thus, very much available on the free-agency market. And as what everybody learned this offseason (especially Marc Cuban and the Dallas Mavericks), nothing is final until a player signed on the dotted lines.
After losing star player LaMarcus Aldridge and big man Robin Lopez to free-agency and failing to snatch Enes Kanter from the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Portland Trail Blazers have the capacity to roll the dice once more, this time on Thompson.
With a $23 million cap space still untapped, the Blazers could place a lucrative offer sheet on the table for Thompson, who carved out a reputation as one of the premier offensive rebounders in the league last season.
The Blazers acquired a frontcourt prospect in Noah Vonleh after sending Nicolas Batum to the Charlotte Hornets, but the second-year pro out of Ohio is still considered raw despite putting up Summer League numbers 17.2 points and 8.5 rebounds on 55.8 percent FG shooting and 50.0 percent from 3pt line).
Adding an already seasoned Thompson to a young core consists of perennial All-Star Damian Lillard, Mason Plumlee and Vonleh would put the Blazers' rebuilding effort on the right track.
Although the Cavs can match any offer sheet for Thompson, the Blazers could make it harder for them to match by offering $80M, Four-Year max deal with a trade kicker, which is a tactic used by the Mavs to get Chandler Parsons from the Rockets last summer.
Thompson, who averaged 8.5 points and 8.0 rebounds (3.3 offensive rpg) per contest (ESPN Stats), is demanding a paycheck worth $85 million over five years, a contract similar to what All-Star Jimmy Butler, former Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard and Draymond Green earned this offseason.
Many NBA pundits believed the Cavaliers will be overpaying Thompson if the deal eventually comes to fruition. Veteran NBA writer Chris Sheridan stressed that Thompson isn't a max contract player, but has the bargaining power to ask for one because of his ties with LeBron James' agency.
The Cavaliers front-office reportedly talked with Thompson and his representatives more than once in hope of finally getting him on the page, but Chris Haynes of Cleveland.com reported that a deal is not imminent.
With their negotiation with Thompson still at toss-up, the Cavaliers appear to be exploring other options in beefing up their frontline. Cleveland.com reported the Cavs front-office led by GM David Griffin had an exploratory talk with Russian big man Sasha Kaun, who averaged 13.7 points and 4.5 rebounds in just 20 minutes per game with CSKA Moscow.
Kaun's potential jump to the NBA could be a game-changing factor to the ongoing negotiation between the Cavs and Thompson. The Cavs already have a cavalcade of big men on its roster (Kevin Love, Timofey Mozgov and a returning Anderson Varejao) and signing both Kaun and Thompson would create a log jam upfront.
The Cavs are reportedly on a waiting game with Kaun, but may signed him on a cheap, if Thompson gets an offer-sheet at some point this offseason. With Dan Gilbert facing an enormous tax bill (estimated to reach $90M), letting Thompson walk away would save him a pile of money.