Tristan Thompson, Cavaliers reach agreement on 5-year, $82 million contract

The deal is fully guaranteed, per Brian Windhorst of ESPN.

Thompson declined the qualifying offer in early October and became a holdout as the Cavaliers played through training camp and started the preseason. That helped put some extra pressure on both sides to get something done before the season opener on Oct. 27, and it worked. The Cavaliers’ decision to not withdraw their five-year, $80 million offer following the passing of the qualifying-offer deadline did as well.

“Our number one objective right now is to sign Tristan,” James told ESPN’s Brian Windhorst on Thursday. “He’s a huge part of our team. Short-term and long-term he makes our team more dangerous.”

“Things need to be worked out from his side and the Cavs, but we need him back,” he continued. “I think our front office has done a great job this summer. The next step is to get Tristan done.”

There are loads of incentives for each side to dig in their heels and believe they have leverage. The Cavaliers are paying gobs of luxury tax already and would prefer not to make Kevin Love’s back-up the fourth max player on the roster. Thompson knows that 10 teams out there next summer would line up to offer him an even more lucrative max contract. Cleveland is right to presume that Thompson taking the qualifying offer -- as threatened on Monday by his agent -- is a last resort.

LeBron and Thompson share an agent. LeBron has buttered Thompson up an inordinate amount, often creating questions about his belief in Love. (For what it’s worth, those questions now seem completely overblown given that Love re-signed with Cleveland.) LeBron relied on Thompson during an injury-riddled Finals run.

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