Free-agent power forward Tristan Thompson might still end up with his hometown ball-club Toronto Raptors, perhaps a year from now.
Basketball Insiders writer Alex Kennedy said during a recent chat session that he expects Thompson to play for the Cleveland Cavaliers this coming season before possibly moving north of the Border with the Raptors.
With Thompson’s contract negotiation with the Cavaliers going nowhere, Kennedy said he won’t be shock to see Thompson accepting a one-year qualifying offer with the Cavs and then bolt out for a lucrative contract with the Raptors.
The Raptors have been linked all offseason as potential trade suitor for the 6-foot-9 big man, but the Basketball Insider analyst immediately shot down that scenario since the Cavs aren’t keen on moving their young talent, unless they are getting something valuable in return.
“I can’t see the Cavs signing-and-trading Tristan Thompson right now. They want to bring him back, it just seems they’re trying to get him on a cheaper contract (especially since they’re a luxury tax team).”
“The only way I think we see Toronto become a possible suitor for Thompson is if he takes the one-year qualifying offer. That would make him an unrestricted free agent next summer, in which case it’s possible he could look to head home to join the Raptors. I think a trade now is pretty unlikely though.”
The 24-year old Thompson averaged at least 8.5 points and 8.0 rebounds in the regular-season (ESPN/Stats), but made his presence felt more in the postseason as he averaged 9.6 points and 10.8 rebounds in 36.4 minutes per game.
Thompson is looking for a contract worth at least $85 million over five years, though many NBA pundits don’t believe he’s a max contract player. The Cavaliers are reportedly trying to lower his asking price since they are already way over the tax threshold, which could mean much larger tax penalties (expected to reach $100M) for owner Dan Gilbert next year.