After waiting for over a month for the Cavaliers to come to an agreement with Tristan Thompson and J.R. Smith, fans can start relaxing as sources from Pro Basketball Draft have been told that its ‘only a matter of time’ before the Cavs sign Thompson and Smith.
Spoke to a league source who says it's just a matter of time until the Cavs re-sign Tristan & JR & believes Cavs only keep 14 on the roster.
— Probasketballdraft (@Probballdraft) August 6, 2015
RELATED: 15 Things You Didn’t Know About Tristan Thompson
Cavs roster to start season: Irving, Shump, Williams, Smith, Delly, Harris, James, Love, Jefferson, Thompson, Jones, Mozgov, Varejao, Kaun.
— Probasketballdraft (@Probballdraft) August 5, 2015
Thompson averaged 8.5 points and 8.0 rebounds in 27 minutes for the Cavs. He bet on himself this past season when he turned down a 4-year deal worth around $50 million. He’s unlikely to sign the qualifying offer and bet on himself again, so taking whatever solid offer the Cavs offer him would be in his best interests.
RELATED: 10 Things You Didn’t Know About J.R. Smith
Smith averaged 12.7 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists. He made the huge financial mistake of opting out of the final year of his contract. He’ll now probably be looking to make about half of the $6.4 million he could have made if he opted into his contract.
Sixers expressed interest in free agent guard JR Smith, but that's dwindled. Cavs want to re-sign Smith, letting market determine his value.
— Sam Amico (@AmicoHoops) August 4, 2015
When the Cavs finalize the two contracts, they’ll have 13 players under contract and reports are that the Cavs are also still working on a deal with big-man Sasha Kaun. The Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Terry Pluto reports on Kaun’s contract situation:
“They are negotiating with Sasha Kaun. They have held the draft rights on the 6-foot-10 Russian center since 2008. Kaun, 30, played in Moscow last season for $2.5 million. But because of their salary cap situation, the most they can offer him is a contract starting at $1.2 million.”
With there essentially being no market for Smith or Thompson, the Cavs do have an advantage in terms of trying to sign Thompson, Smith, and Kaun to deals that are more fitting to their financial situation.