Tristan Thompson agrees to Cavs reunion for 2024-25 season
09/06/2024 11:40 AM
The Cleveland Cavaliers and veteran center Tristan Thompson have agreed to a one-year contract, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Tristan Thompson is signing a 1-year deal to return to the Cavs, per @wojespn.
Thompson has played 10 of his 13 seasons in Cleveland pic.twitter.com/gnjyuBpZI0
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) September 6, 2024
Thompson, 33, ended up returning to the Cavs on a minimum deal last season after previously bouncing around from team to team. Now, Thompson will play his 11th total season with Cleveland, adding to his legacy with the franchise he spent the first nine years of his career with.
In a total of 49 games last season off the bench, the big man averaged 3.3 points and 3.6 rebounds per game behind Jarrett Allen. Although he may not be able to compete and contribute as much anymore, Thompson is a terrific leader and someone the Cavaliers wanted to bring back to help lead the locker room.
Throughout his time in Cleveland, Thompson has always been known for being an elite rebounding presence. That is really where he burst onto the scenes in the postseason for the Cavs, as Thompson played a pivotal role in the paint during the team’s four-year NBA Finals run from 2015 through 2018. He was a part of the 2015-16 Cavaliers championship roster with LeBron James.
What is interesting about the Cavs is that prior to adding Thompson to their roster for the 2024-25 season, Cleveland had only 12 players under contract. Thompson will be the 13th player on the roster, meaning that the Cavaliers will need to add at least one more player before the start of the new season.
Restricted free agent Isaac Okoro is likely to be given this spot, as the defensive-minded wing has received zero interest in free agency this offseason. As a result, Okoro will likely accept his one-year qualifying offer of $11.8 million in order to become an unrestricted free agent next offseason. It is worth noting that the Cavs did extend a multi-year offer to the former fifth overall pick early on in free agency. Whether or not that offer still exists remains unknown.
The 2024-25 season will mark Thompson’s 14th season in the NBA, making him the most experienced player in the Cavs’ locker room. Between his experiences through the years and ability to help develop the young talents on this roster, re-signing Thompson made a lot of sense for the Cavs.
Nearing the end of his career, Thompson will now reprise his role as the vocal leader on Cleveland’s bench, as this organization looks to make a serious playoff push in the Eastern Conference.
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