Yesterday, Tristan Thompson and the Cavaliers were reportedly nearing a five-year contract worth more than $80 million.
Today, not so much.
Brian Windhorst of ESPN:
After progress was made yesterday, Cavs & Tristan Thompson are currently still apart on contract talks, sources told ESPN.
— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) July 2, 2015
I still think a deal gets done, because Thompson is still represented by LeBron James’ agent, Rich Paul. The Cavs won’t want to upset Paul and LeBron, who remains unsigned. This is the leverage LeBron holds.
A restricted free agent, Thompson could always seek an offer sheet. But even in this environment, I don’t think he gets near a max contract somewhere else (though it’s certainly within the realm of possibility). His best move is exploiting the Paul/LeBron relationship while negotiating directly with Cleveland.
As an aside, Draymond Green can thank the leaker of Thompson’s negotiations.
Sam Amick of USA Today:
Draymond Green's camp used reported Tristan Thompson numbers to set market for his $82 mil deal. And that deal's not even done. This biz...
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) July 2, 2015