The Cavaliers continue to plummet as they fell to the Pacers 97-95 on the road last night. Cleveland will now attempt to shop Tristan Thompson at the trade deadline.
The Cavs will look to see what value Thompson holds at the deadline as they look to get back on track and compete with contenders in the East such as the Celtics and Raptors. Thompson is currently on a five-year, $82 million deal with the Cavs and has not performed up to expectations in the last few years. In 2017, he is averaging a mere five points and five rebounds per game. Yahoo Sports has an update on what the Cavs are thinking.
As teams pick up trade activity before the trade deadline, the Cavaliers are shaping up to be perhaps the most fascinating contending team. They have two first-round draft picks — including the heralded Brooklyn Nets’ selection via the Irving trade — but the superstar player whom the franchise could pursue with that pick has not been made available. Multiple NBA teams have cited Tristan Thompson as an asset Cleveland is willing to move in the right deal, such as one for the Los Angeles Clippers’ DeAndre Jordan. Nevertheless, the superstar talent of Oklahoma City’s Paul George or New Orleans’ DeMarcus Cousins, each deserving of that Nets first-rounder, won’t see the light in this trade market as of right now, league sources said, as those teams are fully focused on winning with each respective player.
There’s no quick cure for these Cavaliers, four weeks from the trade deadline.
The Cavaliers have a good chance to get good value in trying to deal Thompson as they could also include their potential top five draft pick which is from the Nets. Packaging Thompson and this pick could result in acquiring an all-star to put Cleveland over the hump and defeat the Warriors.
