Tristan Thompson, Cavaliers have big gap in salary talks

Jun 16, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson (13) fights for a rebound against Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green (23) during the second quarter in game six of the NBA Finals at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /

The Cleveland Cavaliers and forward Tristan Thompson still have a large difference of opinion over salary.

Contract disputes between a player and their team usually come down to what seems like a pittance. Other times, there is a pretty sizable gap to bridge.

Such is the case with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Tristan Thompson.

According to Barry Windhorst of ESPN, a team source is indicating that the Cavs and Thompson remain about $14 million apart in their latest negotiations. Cleveland, who is stuck on terms of available salary space, are offering a five-year, $84 million deal, with Thompson wanting a max deal worth $94 million.

That’s a pretty sizable gap, amounting to $2.8 million per season over the life of the deal. With training camp just around the corner, that doesn’t leave much time for the two parties to find a common ground before Thompson’s imposed deadline. If it passes, he will simply sign the $6.9 million qualifying offer and hit free agency next season.

Thompson remains somewhat of an enigma. The Cavs love him and there is certainly a ton of upside to his game. However, he’s been underutilized in Cleveland, especially with the acquisition of Kevin Love this past season. After averaging 11.7 points and 9+ rebounds each of the previous two seasons, Thompson dipped across the board by averaging 8.5 points and 8.0 rebounds in 2014-15.

With that said, Cleveland understands that Thompson could be in heavy demand next summer. The market remains strong in 2016, with Kevin Durant, Andre Drummond, Al Horford, and more, but Thompson is still expected to command a max deal from someone. The Toronto Raptors have been the team most frequently mentioned in connection with Thompson in the past.

It’s obvious that his perspective of his market is driven not only by his desire to make the most money possible, but also to justify finding a home that will make him a bigger picture in the game plan.

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