The long wait is over.
The Cleveland Cavaliers and Tristan Thompson finally ended the almost yearlong stalemate in the negotiations regarding the contract of the Canadian basketball star. With the two parties initially at odds regarding the details of the deal, Wednesday saw the conclusion of the saga that even went as far as to include LeBron James and other NBA teams. In a report by ESPN, it was confirmed that the Cleveland Cavaliers and Tristan Thompson agreed to a five-year deal worth $82 million. The contract excludes any player or team option. Moreover, the Cleveland Cavaliers will give Tristan Thompson guaranteed money.
Prior to this agreement, Tristant Thompson had demanded for $94 million for a max deal of five years. This was countered by the Cleveland Cavaliers with an offer worth $80 million for the same time span. Naturally, LeBron James' buddy rejected the deal. As time went by during the NBA offseason, the two camps once again reached a stalemate when Tristan Thompson asked for $53 million for a three-year contract. Given the agreement finally signed by both the Cleveland Cavaliers and the basketball star, Tristan Thompson is set to earn $16.4 million every year for the next five years.
Earlier this year, a number of fans and followers of the NBA assumed that Tristan Thompson will no longer be part of the Cleveland Cavaliers roster come the regular basketball season. In fact, some assumed that the Canadian star will have to settle with lower offers following his rejection of the intial $80 million five-year contract given by the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, it appears that the efforts of Tristan Thompson and agent Paul Rich finally paid off.
"The dollar amount may baffle some, but Thompson earned his new contract," noted Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group. The sports analyst later shared, "Critics mocked him for rebuffing such a lucrative offer, citing his "limited skill set." Nevertheless, he played on and accepted his new reserve role. He was the league's leading rebounder off the bench with 8.0 boards a night, while also continuing his streak of not missing a game in his four-year career."
Meanwhile, DeMarcus Cousins of the Sacramento Kings reacted to the announcement via social media. Taking his reaction to Twitter, the basketball star wrote: "How much???" This statement was followed by an emoji with wide eyes, presumably to indicate his shock over the $80 million contract bagged by Tristan Thompson from the Cleveland Cavaliers.
