NBA front office insider describes how Tristan Thompson’s suspension has affected the company’s finances.
In the 2023 offseason, Thompson inked a one-year contract with the Cavaliers. In the 2023–24 regular season, his tenth with the Cavaliers, he has appeared in 36 games and is averaging 3.8 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game while shooting 64.9 percent from the field.
The financial consequences of Thompson’s suspension were disclosed by Bobby Marks, a former NBA executive.
Prior to being suspended, Thompson played the Orlando Magic on January 22 and finished with four points, five rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block on 2-of-6 shooting from the field.
In the 2011 NBA Draft, the Cavaliers selected the 32-year-old with the fourth overall choice, and he played for them for his first nine NBA seasons. In 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018, the Cavaliers made it to four NBA Finals during his first tenure.
Moreover, he shared a championship with the group in 2016. In the NBA Finals, the Cavaliers overcame a 3-1 deficit to defeat the Golden State Warriors and win the series in seven games. Thompson shot 63.6 percent from the floor in the championship series, averaging 10.3 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 0.7 assists per game.
Thompson’s suspension came at a time when the Cavaliers were playing their best basketball of the 2023–24 regular season and were clicking on all cylinders.
Cleveland defeated the Magic by a score of 27 points, extending their winning streak to eight games—the longest of any NBA club currently in play. Since the beginning of the year, the Cavaliers have only dropped one game, which occurred on January 1st versus the Toronto Raptors.
With a 26-15 record, the Cavaliers are now the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference thanks to their winning run. With two and a half games remaining, Cleveland trails the Philadelphia 76ers for the third conference seed.
Although it’s disappointing to learn that Thompson won’t be able to play for the Cavaliers for a while, Cleveland has shown recently that they have enough skill to be competitive in the Eastern Conference standings even without him.
