Earlier this week, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Cleveland Cavaliers might be considering big man Tristan Thompson as a potential trade asset. The 6-foot-10 rebounding machine was asked about this news after the Cavs’ 97-95 loss in Indiana to the Pacers.
“It doesn’t bother me at all,” Thompson told Joe Vardon of cleveland.com, referring to his name being involved in trade talks. “At the end of the day you only control what you can control. That’s when coach calls me in the game, go out and play hard and compete. That business side, people get paid to do that stuff. I get paid to be out there on the court and compete and do my job. Guys get paid to make decisions and move pieces around.”
“For me, seven years in the league and seeing guys get traded and just understanding the business of basketball, it doesn’t faze me at all,” Thompson continued. “I know what I need to do, just play and be myself.”
Thompson, now 26 years of age, is a reliable presence in the paint, with solid rebounding skills to boot. However, he missed several games this season (20) due to a strained calf. In his 22 appearances with the Cavs this season, the Canadian has turned in somewhat subpar averages of 5.1 points on 58.2 percent shooting from the field and 5.8 rebounds per game.
Whether or not the Cavs will pull the trigger on a Thompson trade before the NBA’s Feb. 8 trade deadline remains to be seen. He’s currently in the third year of a five-year, $82 million deal, which could make negotiations a bit tricky.
