Cleveland Cavaliers forward Tristan Thompson might be off the trade block after all. Thompson's close relationship with Cavaliers superstar LeBron James, who seems to be Cleveland's de facto general manager, could keep Thompson in a Cavaliers uniform for this season and beyond.
Thompson became the subject of trade rumors when Cleveland signed forward Kevin Love. With the fourth overall pick of the 2011 draft now being relegated to the bench, moving him seemed likely to happen.
That might not be the case, though, thanks to James. The four-time MVP posted a picture on Instagram Sunday showing him, Thompson and Los Angeles Clippers star Chris Paul taking a break from working out together at UCLA.
James is ostensibly running the Cavaliers. If he's including Thompson in his work outs and posting a photograph of it online, it's not a stretch to assume James wants the third-year pro on the roster. It also doesn't hurt that James and Thompson have the same agent, Rich Paul.
"Me and LeBron's relationship is pretty close," Thompson told ESPN back in January 2012. "He's like a brother to me."
James essentially did the same thing earlier this summer with guard Dion Waiters, who's also routinely the subject of trade rumors. Waiters and Thompson were both named specifically in James's famous letter this summer, another sign indicating James sees both young players as building blocks for a championship-contending team.
Any trade scenario involving Cleveland always includes Thompson or Waiters. Both were mentioned as possible options in a package deal for either Denver Nuggets centers Timofey Mozgov or JaVale McGee, as the latest example. If Cleveland does plan to keep Thompson around, it likely means the team plans to fill their biggest need - a rim-protector who can defend the paint - with free agent Emeka Okafor.
