If there is one person that could make a difference as far as the ongoing standstill involving Tristan Thompson and the Cavaliers, that person would be Lebron James.
James has been quiet on the whole Thompson contract impasse until now. And if that Instagram post James put up with the message, "Get it done!!!!" along with the hashtag "#MissMyBrother" is any indication, then the Cavs may have to do something fast.
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Could this post pressure the Cavs into finally resolving the Thompson issue? If not, will a failure to end the impasse result in dire consequences as far as the Cavs future is concerned?
James and Thompson share the same agent in Rich Paul though it remains to be seen if that tie-up could put some pressure on team owner Dan Gilbert.
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Thompson and Paul have stood pat on their demands. Initially, both had batted for a max contract worth $94 million but the Cavs were only willing to give $80 million.
Both made an eventual counter-offer of $53 million spread over three years, but the Cavs didn’t find it soothing.
So the worst case scenario right now is seeing Thompson sign a qualifying offer worth $6.8 million, but with the threat that the Canadian forward is as good as gone next year.
Until the Instagram post, it seemed that there was no end to the lengthy stand-off, though the tides could turn.
Right now, the main issue for the Cavs is their tax bill. At the moment, they already have $94.9 million in guaranteed contracts, $10.2 million over the luxury tax mark. Signing Thompson to a max deal could eventually jack up those numbers to $28.75 million.
The numbers fluctuate from that, depending on what Thompson eventually gets of course. But the fact remains that Gilbert doesn’t seem too keen on spending a whole lot more than what is already on the table.
Is Thompson worth that much? Has he proven that he deserves a max deal? If the NBA Finals is a basis, then it may be a bit vague.
But then again, here is something that Cavs could probably ask themselves. Can they afford to shut out Thompson and worry about potentially losing Lebron James next year?
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