Report: Cavs F Tristan Thompson won't re-sign for less than max
Cleveland Cavaliers restricted free agent Tristan Thompson won't re-sign with the team for anything less than a maximum contract, reports Bleacher Report's Ric Bucher.
Thompson reportedly turned down a five-year, $80 million offer from Cleveland earlier this off-season. A max deal for Thompson would cost Cleveland more than $94 million over five years.
According to Bucher, Thompson is willing to sign a one-year qualifying offer for $6.8 million with the Cavs, which would make him an unrestricted free agent next summer. Bucher's report says Thompson's agent, Rich Paul, believes the Toronto Raptors would offer Thompson a max deal next off-season, when the salary cap increases significantly.
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Thompson, who was born in Toronto, increased his value greatly during Cleveland's run to the NBA finals. The forward increased his per-game averages in minutes, points and rebounds during the playoffs.
A recent example of a player who signed a one-year qualifying offer is Greg Monroe, who signed with Detroit for one year before joining Milwaukee on a max contract in July.
Thompson can still sign an offer sheet this summer with another team, but Cleveland would have the right to match any contract. Thompson's agent also represents LeBron James.
- Rohan Nadkarni
