Report: Cavaliers looking to trade Tristan Thompson

With impending free agency ahead for the big man, it seems that the Cleveland Cavaliers are looking to trade lottery pick Tristan Thompson.

If what is said in the tweet above is completely true, then it makes sense as to why the Cavaliers are trying to move the number four pick from the 2011 NBA Draft. Thompson has been a good player, averaging 10.8 points and 8.6 rebounds over the first three years of his career, and has shown signs of improvement, but if he’s going to ask for a contract similar to what Derrick Favors got (4-years, $49 million) and what Greg Monroe will ask for this summer (some predict he’ll get a max contract), it’s best Cleveland see what kind of value they can get for Thompson.

Moving Thompson just puts the light back on how bad the Cavaliers mismanaged the drafts of the last few years. The severity of choosing Anthony Bennet first overall in the 2013 NBA Draft won’t be fully felt until the years have passed and the players build a body of work, but that hasn’t started off well. They selected Dion Waiters in fourth overall instead of taking center prospect Andre Drummond in the 2012 NBA Draft. And in the 2011 NBA Draft where Tristan Thompson was selected fourth overall, they passed over Jonas Valanciunas, Klay Thompson, Kawhi Leonard, and Nikola Vucevic, four players the Cavaliers could desperately use as they look to become a prominent force in the Eastern conference.

A good sign for the Cavaliers is that they have a new general manager in David Griffin meaning the mistakes of the past may just be that… a thing in the past. Probing for value on Thompson is a smart move as he’ll likely be nothing more than a role player and if the perfect trade package comes along, the Canadian power forward could well be on his way out.