The Cleveland Cavaliers are reportedly open to the possibility of moving Tristan Thompson before the February trade deadline.
According to Sports Illustrated, the Toronto Raptors are interested in Thompson. When Google notified me of this story my reaction was immediate and intense. It was so intense that, in fact, I forgot to proofread my tweet.
There are arguments to be made in favour of bringing Thompson into the Raptors fold. Thus far this season, the Raptors have struggled with rebounding. Thompson has started the season with a career-high 10.6 rebounds per game. Also, the fact that Tristan Thompson was born in Toronto would seem to be a not at all business-related, let him play at home, feel-good reason for the move.
So why my reaction?
It’s simple. Tristan Thompson doesn’t fit with the Toronto Raptors roster. Within moments of posting the tweet above, I got a reply that exactly mirrored my thoughts.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again and again and again. One of the most special things about the way Toronto Raptors President Masai Ujiri and GM Bobby Webster have picked this roster is that to a man, every Raps player is a high character individual.
Tristan Thompson, on the other hand… well we’re talking about a guy who hooked up with, fathered a child with and then cheated on a Kardashian. Need I say more? Don’t get me wrong. He has the right to make whatever choices he wants. But making a move to bring Thompson to Toronto sounded absolutely counter to the way Masai Ujiri has historically made decisions.
Fake News
As it turns out, the rumors of Toronto’s interest in Tristan Thompson have been greatly exaggerated.
A little deeper investigation reveals that trade to bring Thompson to Toronto would not be a straight-forward one. Thompson’s salary this season is $18.5 million. The Raptors expiring contracts for Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol at around $23.3 million and $25.6 million respectively would require the trade to involve another player and possibly even another team.
So, what would be the purpose of putting this story out? The way I see it there are two possibilities. One, Sports Illustrated simply got their information wrong. Unlikely, sure, but not impossible. Two, the Cavs have already decided that they want to move Thompson. And what better way to generate interest in a player than to make it known that the defending NBA Champions are sniffing around?
Either way, I’m beyond relieved that every indication is that Thompson will not be coming anywhere near my Raptors.
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