Tristan Thompson is returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers, according to NBA insider Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.
Thompson spent the first nine years of his career with the Cavaliers. He helped Cleveland win the 2016 championship over the Golden State Warriors.
Thompson played in six games for the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2023 playoffs. He has career NBA averages of 9.0 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.0 assists with the Cavaliers, Boston Celtics, Sacramento Kings, Indiana Pacers and Chicago Bulls.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Tristan Thompson, Cleveland Cavaliers Updates
The Cavaliers went 51-31 last season. They were the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference and faced the New York Knicks in the first round of the 2023 playoffs. Cleveland lost to New York in five games.
Donovan Mitchell thought he was going to get traded to the Knicks last offseason. However, the All-Star got dealt to the Cavaliers instead. In November 2020, Mitchell signed a five-year, $163 million rookie-scale extension with the Utah Jazz. The 27-year-old will make $32.6 million next season and $34.8 million in 2024-25. Mitchell can become an unrestricted free agent in 2025 if he declines his 2025-26 player option worth $37.1 million.
Mitchell was born and raised in New York. Two of his friends, Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart, play for the Knicks. If the Cavaliers don’t advance past the first round of the playoffs next year, don’t be surprised if the Mitchell-to-Knicks rumors heat up once again.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Tristan Thompson, Cleveland Cavaliers Updates
Mitchell is one of the best players in the NBA. He averaged 28.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.4 assists last season for the Cavaliers while shooting 48.4% from the field, 38.6% from beyond the arc and 86.7% from the free-throw line. Mitchell has career averages of 24.6 points, 4.2 boards and 4.5 assists with Utah and Cleveland.
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