No deal for Tristan Thompson, Cleveland Cavaliers before deadline
Tristan Thompson did not sign the qualifying offer extended to him by the Cleveland Cavaliers by the 11:59 p.m. ET deadline Thursday, reports ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
Thompson was displeased with the offer of $6.9 million from the Cavs, and has held out in hopes of inking a more lucrative deal. Originally, Thompson wanted to sign a max contract of $94 million over five years, and Cleveland reportedly countered with $80 million for five years. A later report indicated Thompson could be open to a three-year, $53 million deal.
The four-year Cavs forward has a few options now that the deadline has passed. The Cavs could re-extend the same qualifying offer, the sides could work toward agreeing on a long-term deal or Thompson could seek an offer from a different team. However, because Thompson is a restricted free agent, the Cavaliers would have the option of matching the outside offer to keep him in Cleveland.
Thompson did not attend Cleveland’s media day on Monday, and has missed the first three days of training camp. Neither Thompson nor the team viewed his absence as a holdout because he still had time to sign the qualifying offer.
The Cavaliers are set to start their preseason against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday. Their regular season will begin on Oct. 27 against the Chicago Bulls.
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- Erin Flynn
