The Cleveland Cavaliers have stalled talks about a contract extension with big man Tristan Thompson, according to a report from ESPN's Brian Windhorst.
Thompson has started all 82 games for the Cavs during the last two seasons, but first year head coach David Blatt plans to have him coming off the bench with Kevin Love's arrival. Thompson lost out to Anderson Varejao for the fifth starting spot alongside Love, LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Dion Waiters.
That decision may have had an affect on more than just playing time, however. The Cavs have reportedly started engaging in serious talks with Varejao about an extension, which signals that he's a higher priority to the team.
It could also be the Varejao's deal is easier to handle. The 32-year-old is making $9.8 million this season and isn't expecting anything significantly more than that.
Thompson, on the other hand, is in the last year of his rookie deal and is looking for an extension that would put him in the $12-million-a-year range that Denver's Kenneth Faried and Utah's Derrick Favors are receiving. He averaged 11.7 ppg and 9.2 rpg last season, which is a little less than what Favors (13.3 ppg, 8.7 rpg) and Faried (13.7 ppg, 8.6 rpg) - though it's worth noting Faried got his extension after playing a key starting role on Team USA's FIBA World Cup team.
Where things may get tricky is that Thompson has the same agent, Rich Paul, as LeBron James. Cleveland wants to do everything they can to keep James happy in hopes that he won't leave again, and Thompson has a good relationship with owner Dan Gilbert. LeBron also has a great relationship with Varejao, so he's like to see the Cavaliers keep both players.
The key factor in determining whether the Cavs will have the ability to do that or not is the salary cap that will be expanded following the NBA's new $24 billion media rights deal. Everyone knows the cap will increase, but no one knows by how much.
The deadline for teams to sign players eligible for contract extensions is Friday, October 31.
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