Talks for a contract extension between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Tristan Thompson reportedly stalled. ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported the stalled negotiations have created a "bit of tension" between the Cavaliers and superstar LeBron James, who shares the same agent as Thompson.
Thompson is still on a rookie contract and has until Friday to sign an extension. With the deadline days away, the talks between his side and the Cavaliers reportedly are at a stalemate.
"The Cavs and Thompson have stalled in negotiations, sources told ESPN.com, with a Friday deadline for extensions approaching," Windhorst wrote Monday. "Thompson is represented by Klutch Sports and (James's) agent and business partner Rich Paul, who has worked with Thompson since he was drafted in 2011."
That last bit about the relationship between James and Paul, according to Windhorst, could create some tension between James and the front office depending on how the latter handles Thompson's contract extension.
"After a summer of good feelings, the Cleveland Cavaliers are facing their first bit of tension involving LeBron James because of contract extension talks with teammate Tristan Thompson," Windhorst wrote.
James appears to have a close relationship with Thompson. An Instragram photo showed the two working out together in the summer, and James went as far as to name Thompson in his Sports Illustrated letter as a player he wanted to help.
For that reason, some league insiders are very curious to see how Thompson's contract negotiations pan out.
"Both league executives and agents are closely watching how the Thompson talks play out as a gauge for how involved James is making himself in the team's front-office moves," wrote Windhorst.
A player on a rookie-scale contract has until Oct. 31 to reach an extension. If no extension is reached by the Friday deadline, the player will then become a restricted free agent in the summer.
