INDEPENDENCE: Tristan Thompson was absent from Cavaliers practice for the fourth day on Friday and the optimism surrounding his situation might be starting to dim.
Thompson is now officially considered a holdout after refusing to sign a one-year qualifying offer, and when this contract stalemate ends is now anyone’s guess.
LeBron James twice this week expressed optimism a long-term deal would be reached sooner than later and General Manager David Griffin told NBA TV on Thursday he was expecting to see Thompson on Friday. None of that has happened to this point as the two sides remain apart on a long-term contract.