The deadline for Tristan Thompson to sign his qualifying offer has come and gone and yet there is still no resolution to his contract situation. It seemed likely that Thompson would accept the qualifying offer, play out the year making $6.7 million and become a free agent next summer. Now it seems like Thompson and his representatives are waiting for the Cavaliers to break and offer him the contract he wants. Because the two sides are being extremely stubborn it is possible that this carries over into the regular season, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.
Windhorst was a guest on Zach Lowe's "The Lowe Post" podcast which is where he was discussing the situation and when it might be resolved. Thompson wants a maximum contract but the Cavaliers are unwilling to give him one. The offer Cleveland made earlier this offseason was five years $80 million but Thompson wanted five years $94 million which is why an agreement can't be reached as neither side is budging at all.
"I think it will take a third party event to bridge the gap here. I actually believe it will probably go months. This will go well into the regular season," said Windhorst.
Thompson could have just signed the qualifying offer and then signed a max deal with another team next summer but it appears he would prefer the financial security of a long-term deal. LeBron James has said he wants to stay out of the negotiations but he called them a distraction and he just wants the two sides to get it done.
Thompson's agent, Rich Paul, has become known for these holdouts with restricted free agents as he did the same thing with Phoenix Suns guard Eric Bledsoe last season and it ended up working out as Bledsoe signed a five year $70 million deal. Thompson is clearly willing to sit out games this season in order to get the contract he wants but it also seems like the Cavs are willing to play hardball here as it is already a distraction and it will only become a bigger distraction as the season gets closer.
Windhorst said that at the beginning of the offseason it was Paul's goal to get Thompson's contract done before James' (he represents both of them) but he had to change his plan because he realized Thompson's negotiations wouldn't be so easy. LeBron has yet to really use his influence in this case and it doesn't seem like he will anytime soon unless this situation leads to Cleveland losing games.
