Cleveland Cavs: Grading the tradable assets at mid-season
By Chad Porto
Tristan Thompson
Trade Value: C+
Trade Return: Lottery Protected 1st, several 2nd picks, an aging vet on a bad deal and one potential prospect
– Tristan Thompson is someone that has really shown his depth of skills in 2020. The versatile big man has been very consistent on both sides of the court, showing the world he’s actually a talented scorer for the first real-time in his career. Thompson is also averaging a double-double for the season for the first time in his career. He has a career-high in points (12.5), a career-high in rebounds (10.5), and a career-high in assists (2.2). Thompson has also shown a growing ability to shoot the three relatively effectively.
On top of his budding offensive talents, Thompson is a good defender. He’s shown the ability to rebound, play rough on the low post and even show the ability to block some shots. He’s not going to come out and be Dikembe Mutombo for a team, but he could be someone who at least improves a starting lineup for a team, or becomes a valued 7th member off the bench in a playoff rotation.
The knocks on Thompson, however, aren’t to be ignored. He can become inconsistent with his effort. In the past, he’s let his off the court stuff affect his play and that is a problem when you’re in a championship race. He’s also someone who can, at times, be streaky with how he plays. He can go from dropping 20 points and 15 rebounds in one game, to 2 points and 7 rebounds in the next. Finding a way to keep him focused, and motivated is key. That way you can guarantee max value for him.
Likeliest landing spots: Boston, Miami, Philadelphia, Dallas