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Cleveland Cavaliers: Is Tristan Thompson Worth The Price?

By Ryan Rosko

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Cleveland Cavaliers forward Tristan Thompson banked on and believed in himself this past season, as he did not resign a longer contract with the team. Instead he set out to showcase his skills and show firsthand that he is worth more than the offers Cleveland had proposed.

He is a very important part to the Cavaliers for years to come, but will the Cavs be willing to pay what he is asking for? What about matching the offers that almost certainly will come to Thompson; will they match?

To keep the Cavaliers roster signed for the future and filled with quality talent, the franchise is going to have some important decisions to make. Thompson, Kevin Love, and LeBron James headline the multiple players who will be a part of the free agency process; they probably will not bring back everyone unless they pay a heavy tax. What does the future hold for Thompson?

In this addition of FoS Talk, the Factory of Sadness staff express their thoughts and opinions on Thompson’s future contract.

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    • Kris Grimes

    When the Cleveland Cavaliers drafted Tristan Thompson 4th overall in 2011 I asked myself why? Based on the scouts analysis of his play, he resembled a player we already had on the roster in Anderson Varejao.

    A high hustle energy guy who rebounded well, defended well, but didn’t have any offensive polish. So I thought great, this guy is going to have to be given a max contract someday that will cripple this team if he’s not a superstar.

    Flash forward to 2015, and we are faced with the question of whether Thompson is a max player or not. Is a guy who only averages close to 10 points and 10 rebounds a game worth $14-15 million a year, especially when the team already resigned Anderson Varejao to a deal worth $10 million a year?

    That’s $25 million tied into two similar players who don’t provide the team with much offense. So is Thompson worth it?

    In my opinion, I don’t think Tristan Thompson is worth a max contract. He’s a great piece to the team, and provided the Cavaliers with great effort in the playoffs. However, he’s limited offensively and fits better into being a role player. Max or near max contracts should be reserved for players like LeBron, Kyrie Irving, and yes even Love who can affect the game from all sides.

    For Tristan’s worth, the Cavaliers need to look no further than the $10 million given to Anderson Varejao, but even that’s steep in my opinion.

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    Ric McElroy

    I’m sure he thinks he’s worth a bigger pay day and his performance in the finals was above and beyond. He is basically the Cavs equivalent to Dennis Rodman; a beast on the boards and has some offensive prowess but needs improvement on his outside jumper and foul shooting.

    The Cavaliers are up against a wall with the luxury tax and I know Dan Gilbert  will pay it without complaint. Tristan will undoubtedly get some great offers from other teams.

    I think a lot of what is going to happen will depend on what happens with the draft, free agency and the signings of LeBron, Love, J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert, and Matthew Dellavedova! In addition, the trade chip of Brendan Hayward could get something or someone of value, but yes they need to sign him by all means possible.

    Adam Schabel

    Thompson is a valuable asset to the Cavs due to his defense and rebounding ability especially on the offensive glass. He gambled on himself this season after turning down the Cavs’ original offer and it paid off in a big way, especially in the playoffs and NBA Finals.

    I don’t believe he is a max player yet, therefore I would give him 45 million not 52 million. As Ric pointed out, he needs to develop a mid range jumper, improve his offensive skill set as a whole and his free throw shooting.

    Even though the Cavs put him out there for his rebounding and defense and not offense since the Cavs have plenty of that, he is not a max player yet because he is not a complete player. He is still young and can definitely develop his skills and become a well rounded player. However, I would pay him the 52 million in order to keep him a Cav.

    Nick Dudkovich

    Tristan Thompson shouldn’t be a max-level guy, but luckily for TT, he’s 6-foot-9. Big men are consistently overpaid, especially when they offer a valuable skill-set, such as cleaning the offensive glass.

    While I don’t think Tristan is worthy, the Cavs should absolutely pay him. The kicked around price of $14-15 million per season seems like a lot today, but it won’t be next summer, and again in 2017, when the roof is blown off the salary cap. We’ll look back and think we’re getting Thompson at a bargain-basement price.

    Ryan Rosko

    Tristan Thompson is not worth the price he is asking. His limited game offensively to score does no favors for him. The offer that he had received from Cleveland is worth his production, even though I personally would not pay that. I’d rather go after other PF’s on the free agent market.

    As others mentioned, with the salary cap increasing in the future and salaries set to increase for players, I would be okay though seeing him stay with the team for a few more million as it would relate to the bigger cap. Thompson is not a max contract player but I would not be surprised if he signs a deal similar to or greater than his request either from Cleveland or another team.

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