Cleveland Cavaliers rumors: Tristan Thompson needs to be traded?
By Bryan Rose
It wasn’t that long ago that Tristan Thompson was thought to be the next big thing for the Cleveland Cavaliers. How quickly things change as Thompson is now essentially an afterthought behind LeBron James, Kevin Love, Kyrie Irving and company.
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Afterthought or not, the power forward will be due for a new contract in the relatively near future and the Cleveland Cavaliers could entertain the thought of re-signing him. Of course, doing so won’t come cheaply and committing salary to Tristan Thompson may hamper future moves for the organization.
That’s the last thing the Cavs front office wants to do, which is why Grantland believes it’s in the best interest of the Cavaliers to place Tristan Thompson on the trade block.
"Thompson is a solid player — a good guy who is well liked around the league. The Cavs should at least sniff out Thompson’s trade market for players at positions of need — a big guy, and a wing who fills at least half the “3-and-D” equation — before throwing big dollars at him. He’s a power forward, and Cleveland has two of the league’s 10 best overall players at that position."
As noted, it’s not like Thompson is a bust. It’s just that the forward is buried on the depth chart and he’s not going to be a starter with the organization. Given that, the Cleveland Cavaliers may be best served trading him for a position of need.
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