With the news of Sasha Kaun's reported 2-year deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers going down on Saturday, Tristan Thompson's tenure in Northeast Ohio has never been this unsecured.
Bleacher Report's David Pick reported Kaun's two-year contract with the Cavaliers after the two parties met twice in a span of five weeks: the first took place in Las Vegas during the Summer League while the latest happened few days ago in Cleveland, suggesting that a deal was very imminent.
Kaun, who averaged 9.9 points and 4.5 rebounds in 20.1 minutes per game during the Euroleague season last year, will give the Cavaliers yet another big body to throw on the court, joining Kevin Love, Timofey Mozgov and Anderson Varejao in that very deep frontline rotation.
While having the 7-foot Kaun is certainly good news for the Cavaliers, his arrival doesn't bode well for Thompson, who remains unsigned after spurning several offers from the Cavs' front-office, including a five-year, $80 million deal.
With four solid big men on the Cavs roster, Thompson will find a hard time getting significant minutes, barring injuries. The Canadian-born forward has two options as a restricted free-agent: a.) sign an extension below his $95 million asking price and b.) sign a qualifying offer worth $6.8 million and hits the market the next year as an unrestricted free-agent. However, it's unlikely Thompson will sign either because he may not get the same offers next season, given the scenario created by Kaun's signings.
Despite LeBron James' comment on how valuable Thompson is to the team, the Cavaliers might be starting to look for a way out of the sticky situation. As Dan Gilbert's tax bill continues to skyrocket, the Cavs could pull off a sign-and-trade deal elsewhere to address their financial woes, and at the same time, other holes on their roster.
Some of possible trade partners for the Cavaliers involving Thompson are the player's hometown team Toronto Raptors, Phoenix Suns with Markieff Morris as its trade chip, and the Portland Trail Blazers armed with the cap space to absorb Thompson' contract.
After averaging 8.5 points and 8.0 rebounds last season with the Cavs, Thompson entered the offseason gunning for a big contract. Unfortunately, things haven't worked out well his way.