Tristan Thompson has been with the Cleveland Cavaliers for his entire nine-year career, and apparently the 28-year-old veteran might be back with the team sooner than expected per reporting from Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer on the Wine and Gold Talk Podcast.
“My initial thought when the Cavs were excluded from the Disney plan was that Tristan had played his final game with the Cavs,” Fedor said. “So, I reached out to people on both sides of this conversation. Both sides said, ‘Slow down on that, take it easy here, you’re jumping to conclusions.’ When I texted somebody and said, ‘Does this mean Tristan has played his final game with the Cavs?’ I got back, ‘Not necessarily.’ And I believe there’s a chance he comes back.”
“I think there’s also a sense that the Cavs recognize the value that Tristan Thompson brings,” Fedor added. “And Tristan being one of the greatest Cavaliers of all-time and eventually having his jersey hung and continuing to climb the ranks of the all-time Cavs is something that’s meaningful to him.”
Certainly, players remaining with one team for their entire career is a supreme rarity these days, but Thompson was slated to be a free agent this offseason coming off the best season of his professional career.
In a contract season, Thompson put up career-highs in points per game (12.0), assists per game (2.0), and actually hit 39.1 percent of his three-pointers (he took 23 after only attempting 9 in his first 8 seasons).
Thompson is clearly a fan favorite, so seeing him return to Cleveland would likely be seen as a win for the franchise.
