NBA front office insider details financial fallout from Tristan Thompson’s suspension

Cleveland Cavaliers big man Tristan Thompson has reportedly been suspended.

Thompson signed a one-year deal with the Cavaliers in the 2023 offseason. In 36 games played with the Cavaliers in the 2023-24 regular season, his 10th season with the team, he is averaging 3.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game while shooting 64.9 percent from the floor.

The financial fallout from Thompson’s suspension was revealed by former NBA executive Bobby Marks.

In his most recent game before receiving a suspension, Thompson dropped four points, five rebounds, one assist, one steal and one block while shooting 2-of-6 from the field against the Orlando Magic on Jan. 22.

The 32-year-old spent his first nine NBA seasons with the Cavaliers, who selected him with the No. 4 overall pick back in the 2011 NBA Draft. During his first stint with the Cavaliers, the team reached four NBA Finals in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018.

Plus, he won a title with the team back in 2016. The Cavaliers rallied back from a 3-1 deficit against the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals to win the series in seven games. Thompson averaged 10.3 points, 10.1 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game while shooting 63.6 percent from the field during the championship series.

Thompson has been handed a suspension at a time when the Cavaliers are clicking on all cylinders and playing their best basketball of the 2023-24 regular season.

Cleveland’s 27-point victory over the Magic marked the team’s eighth straight win, which is the longest active winning streak of any team in the NBA. The Cavaliers have lost just one game since the start of the new year, with that loss coming against the Toronto Raptors on Jan. 1.

The Cavs’ winning streak has elevated them to the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference at 26-15. Cleveland is currently two-and-a-half games behind the Philadelphia 76ers for the No. 3 seed in the conference.

While it’s unfortunate news that Thompson will be unable to suit up for the Cavaliers for quite some time, Cleveland’s recent play indicates that the team is talented enough to keep pace in the Eastern Conference standings without him in the lineup.