Report: Cavs Won’t Offer Buyout to Tristan Thompson, Who Will Play Out Rest of Season

The Cleveland Cavaliers were unable to work a deal for veteran center Tristan Thompson by Thursday’s trade deadline, but a new report indicates that the team won’t offer him a contract buyout after rumors about that possibility immediately surfaced.

Thompson will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2019-20 season. That status and the lack of progress in contract talks served as chief reasons for the idea of a buyout

In his ninth year in the NBA, Thompson had been providing solid play on the court, but had recently demanded to be traded by the trade deadline.

The 28-year-old Thompson had not played in the Cavaliers’ past two games, leading to heightened speculation that he would be traded.

Thompson is making $18.54 million in the final season of the five-year deal that he signed in 2015. Prior to this season’s resurgence, Thompson had dealt with injuries in the previous two seasons after having been one of the most durable players in the league.

News of the potential buyout came at roughly the same time that the Cavaliers completed a deal to acquire another veteran center, Andre Drummond of the Detroit Pistons.

Like Thompson, he’ll be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season, with both players unlikely to be wearing Cavs uniforms next season.