Will Tristan Thompson re-sign with the Cavs on another veteran minimum deal? Wine and Gold Talk podcast

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CLEVELAND, Ohio -- In this episode of the Wine and Gold Talk podcast, Ethan Sands and Chris Fedor discuss potential backup big options for the team, focusing on whether Tristan Thompson will return or if the Cavs will seek an alternative.

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NOTE: This transcript was generated by artificial intelligence and could contain misspellings and errors.

Ethan Sands: What up Cavs Nation? I'm your host, Ethan Sands, and I'm back with another episode of the Wine and Gold Talk podcast. And today, you know him, you love him. The man, the myth, the legend. Chris Fedor is joining me for another rendition of the hey Chris episode courtesy of the Wine and Gold Talk podcast, where we delve into questions that are given to us from our subscribers to Subtext, a platform that allows you to have your voice heard and get at your fingertips Information Insight on the Cleveland Cavaliers and the NBA as a whole. So throughout the summer I've been talking about players on the market that could help in a backup role, and it delves into Tristan Thompson's impact not only as a basketball player. As we know, he is the only player on the roster to have a Cleveland Cavaliers championship ring. Sam Merrow has a Milwaukee Bucks championship ring, right? But this question coming from Bruce R. In Columbus, Ohio, says will Tristan Thompson be back next year or will they replace him with another big from outside the organization, Someone who can effectively spell Evan and Ja and play meaningful minutes, Someone with skills and toughness? Does anyone out there even exist that could make an impact? And Chris We've talked about a couple of different names that could be had on a veteran minimum because of the situation that the Cavs are in. To me, the name that I have stuck to this entire offseason has been Steven Adams in the big man role. Someone that is physical, someone that can grab rebounds, someone that can run the floor, someone that is not going to take any bs, Someone that has been to the playoffs. Someone that has all the intangibles that I feel like the Cavs would be looking for Stephen Adams. Sure he's getting older. Sure he could be looking to chase and a championship, even though that doesn't feel like something that Steven Adams would do. Feels like Stephen Adams wants to be in the best situation with a group that's having fun of, group that he can mentor. Sure sounds a lot like Tristan Thompson, but to me, based on what he was able to do with the Houston Rockets, it feels like he still has more to give than Tristan Thompson in this stage of both of their careers. What do you think about this situation with Tristan and and is there another name other than Steve Adams that might pique your fancy?

Chris Fedor: I've talked to a lot of people about Stephen Adams over the last couple of days and just what they estimate for for his valuation this off season in free agency and the feedback that I've gotten. And obviously these things can change all the time and a big part of how much a guy is going to earn in the off season is tied to the kind of market and the kind of interest that they get from elsewhere. But everything that I continue to hear is that he's going to get more than the veterans minimum. So everything that I continue to hear is that he's going to be out of the Cavs price range. Like he made 12.6 this past year. He's made a lot of money throughout the course of his career. But when you become a veterans minimum player, there's like a stigma attached to you that you're always going to get that kind of contract for the remainder of your career. And I don't know that Stephen Adams is at that place yet where he can't command a little bit more than that. He was starting games at times for the Rockets. He was still an impactful player for them, both offensively and defensively. Is he a starter caliber center in today's NBA? No, I don't think so. But he's a very reliable and a very playable backup and in certain lineups and in certain situations, I do think he can get extended minutes and help you at both ends of the floor. So I would be surprised if, if he only got the veterans minimum. I would also be a little bit surprised if he left Houston. So beyond him is Mac Biombo is somebody that kind of comes to mind. I don't know how much more he can give than, than what Tristan Thompson does. I don't know how much more the Cavs need than what they got from Tristan Thompson, but it's not, it's certainly not a deep pool. It's not an exciting list of guys. And it would not surprise me if, if it's a situation where the Cavs kind of let it drag out throughout the course of the off season. And then if they have to go back to Tristan Thompson, then they have to go back to Tristan Thompson. He was a late signing last year. It was basically a fallback option, but they just didn't feel like they needed to spend that much on that position because Jared Allen and Evan Mobley are going to play a majority of the minutes at that spot. If they start to look at it a different kind of way, then maybe they'd be more willing to, to kind of go out there and see if they can really beef up that spot. Another one that, that I've just brought up in, in passing, just to a couple of different people. And again, I'm not saying that the Cavs are having these Conversations. I'm not saying that they've talked to this team or they've discussed this particular trade with a team, but the general framework of Isaac Okoro for Jonas Valentunas kind of works. And I don't know if, if Jonas is somebody that. It's so hard to predict what's going to happen with the Pelicans this off season and who's going to be available for the Pelicans and who's not going to be available for the Pelicans. But if you're just talking about, okay, how can the Cavs. If, if the Cavs can't find a dumping ground for Isaac's contract, can they find a player that might provide more on court value or at least value that more matches, you know, the, the kind of, the, the. The kind of contract that that guy commands. And if, if you can find a way with. To see if you can turn him into an actual player, like somebody that can help your rotation in. In some capacity, then I think that that is something that, that you consider doing at least to see if, if there's a chance of that. And I think I said New Orleans with Valanchunas, I meant the Kings. Sacramento is the team that has Valanchunas, and Sacramento is the team that people are trying to figure out what direction they're going to go. Are they going to keep Sabonis? Are they going to load up for a point guard? Are they going to trade Zach Levine? Are they going to trade DeMar DeRozan? So I think a lot of teams are trying to figure out, okay, like, what direction is that team going to go in?

Ethan Sands: What is going on over there? That's what most people are asking, well, what are the sack on the going to do? I know it was a mistake to say New Orleans Pelicans, but they also.

Chris Fedor: Come to mind to fall in the same umbrella, right?

Ethan Sands: Yes, 100%.

Chris Fedor: And Alan Shenas did at one point play for the Pelicans.

Ethan Sands: Yes.

Chris Fedor: But if the, the. The bigger point is, like, if you can't find a dumping ground for Isaac, if a team is going to demand that you attach an asset to him, and the Cavs are a little bit gun shy about that because they don't have a lot of assets to attach to him, then can you turn Isaac into a player like Valentunas? Or again, this is just me talking here. I don't know that this other team would do it, but Lonzo Ball is somebody who I'd be interested in if I were the Cavs. If you could Turn Isaac into Lonzo Ball, Isaac into Jonas Valencunas, Isaac into one of those kinds of players, then that's another way. It's another creative way to use his contract.

Ethan Sands: Dude, I don't think you understand how good this offense would flow with Lonzo Ball as an offensive facilitator and as a defensive stopper. Like, he is the ideal backup point guard for this role. Obviously, you have him paired up with Ty Jerome. Ty Jerome then has the opportunity to. To say, I can attack the basket and not necessarily have to be mad at myself for not having five to six assists a game. Wow. This opens up the entire offense. Wait, hey, Donovan. It actually feels really good to be off the ball instead of bringing it up the floor the entire time. Wow. This is what you meant. This is what you were talking about. Like, I. Oh, my goodness. That would be a game breaker. Obviously, it's. It feels like a long shot, especially with the Cavs wanting to dump Isaac Okoro salary as a plan to find a way to get around the second apron. But, like, if they were to. Obviously Yoda's Valentunas is also a great option, as I believe, and I've said this multiple times, that the Cavs need a better backup big even though they split the minutes between Evan Mobley and Jared Allen. Sometimes Jared Allen's not going to beat in a advantageous matchup. Sometimes Evan Mobley is not going to have an advantageous matchup. You would hope the latter happens a lot less this coming season because you need Evan Mobley to be the number two scorer. But I still am of the belief that the Cavs need another backup big to help mediate the minutes in between or whatever situation might pose in front of them. But Lonzo ball would be 100% my top pick if they had an opportunity because his game just translates so well to what the Cavs are trying to do. And he has a motor like no other. Like, he is the guy that you would ask to sic on somebody for 94ft. For 90ft. Whatever you want to say. I just think that is a great pull on your part because I've seen that a couple times over the last couple of days, but I was like, oh, the viability might not be there, but if you say. If you say that the contracts are close. Oh, boy, oh, boy. We might have some more conversations, but for another day.

Chris Fedor: You know who Alonso is to me? Honestly? I think he's Alex Caruso. I think he plays that kind of role on a championship team. Now, can he guard fives the way that Caruso guarded Jokic and, you know, he's trying to guard Miles Turner and stuff like. Like that in this NBA Finals. Probably not. But can he be that kind of impactful defender, multi positional defender who can hit some timely shots, who might be able to do a little bit of playmaking and a little bit score? I think in the right situation on the right team, I think Alonzo can take the Alex Caruso role and I think he can run with it. And I think he becomes a really, really impactful team for a team that's looking to try and take the next step and win a championship.

Ethan Sands: Since we're making comparisons, I want to throw this out there like you're building a player, right? You get the passing of Tyrese Halliburton, you get the defense of Alex Caruso. We're not going to really talk about the shooting because that's not what you need from. From Lonzo. Obviously, hitting timely shots is important, but not as necessary, and he won't be looked at as crazy as Isaac Okoro for that kind of role. Also, Lonzo's penetration is, is so good, like getting a. A foot in the painted area and then looking out and his speed up and down the court. Like, he's one of my favorite players to just watch. And it's been like every time he's healthy, like, the game of basketball just feels like it's better. But like, when he's not healthy, that's like the biggest portion. And also he's one of the stories where you just want to see him win because he had one of the injuries, where you're like, your career could be over and you just got to the NBA and now you got a transplant that feels like it could work. But I want to see the progress. I want to see the results. And I don't think the Chicago Bulls are the place for him to get those. So if, if the Cavs could somehow make that happen, I think that's. Oh, my goodness, that'd be good. That'd be so good.

Chris Fedor: Turn Isaac into Caleb Martin or something like that. Could he turn Isaac into Daniel Gafford or something like that? Those are the types of players that if the Cavs can't find, like a pure dumping grounds, those are the types of players that I could see them at least trying to get to say, well, you know, this guy goes into our rotation and he probably provides a little bit more on court consistency than somebody like Isaac. The number one thing that you look at for, for any type of trade is how close are the salaries? And Alonzo's is an interesting salary because for this season he made around $20 million. But when 2025, 2026 starts, the new league year, it drops to 10 million. I also think there's a trade restriction on him until August. I want to say don't think he can be traded until August. And maybe the Cavs are more motivated before then to find something that that relates to Isaac. But Isaac's contract for this year is 10.1, for next year is $11 million. So you're trying to find somebody in the general salary range of 10, $11 million to try and make those salaries match as as much as you possibly can. And I would say that those players are a little bit easier to acquire. Now, this is all provided that whatever team it is that the Cavs are calling, they say, hey, we like Isaac. The player will benefit from his defense, will benefit from his competitiveness, we'll benefit from his hustle, we'll benefit from his screen navigation. And who knows, maybe we can do a little bit better with him on the offensive end. Who knows, maybe we can do a little bit better with him when it comes to making his shot more reliable. You know how teams think. They always think things like that. But as I've been told over the last couple of days, the interest in Isaac seems to be pretty chilly at the very least.

Ethan Sands: I don't know how we got the question talking about Tristan Thompson.

Chris Fedor: Well, because I brought up a different. Because look at the centers. Oh my God. Have you seen the list of free easier source.

Ethan Sands: No, Please, no. Okay. I wanted to bring it full circle back to the original question because I wanted my guy, Bruce R. From Columbus, Ohio, to get his shine right. Do you feel like Tristan Thompson can still contribute to this team? Or is his value as a spokesperson, as a leader, as someone who is trusted and well respected by the locker room that much of an importance that he could be brought back? Obviously you said that it could be a late signing. It was the same time, same kind of late signing last year. But how important and how much weight do the Cavs put on his experience in his voice over the actual physical game appearances? That would make a difference because sure, I talked about it, I wrote about it this year. Tristan Thompson says he still believes he's one of the better backup bigs in the entire NBA. I'm trying to figure out if that's a reality or if that's a man talking his stuff. Cause we know Tristan Thompson's got that mouthpiece on him.

Chris Fedor: Look, he's a third big for the Cavs. He's a third big and he plays behind Jared Allen, high minute player, and Evan Mobley, high minute player who is technically the backup center. So what the Cavs need from a guy like Tristan or whoever that third big is going to be, it's not going to be a lot. You just have to have somebody that you can trust. You have to have somebody who's willing to understand and accept that role. You have to have somebody who's not going to create problems behind the scenes. So I do think for the Cavs, unless they can find a significant basketball related upgrade on Tristan Thompson, I do think that third big is going to be one who can serve as a locker room lieutenant, can be an extension of the coaching staff, can provide off the court intangible things that are meaningful for a team. Because the truth is, the free agent centers, they're not all that appealing. And there's a bunch of guys that maybe you could possibly try and say could give a little bit more on the court than Tristan, but it's pretty darn close. I guess. Mason Plumlee can probably offer more as a basketball player at this stage of his career, I guess. But is Paul Reed a basketball upgrade on Tristan? He's younger, he's more athletic, he can probably move a little bit more. But is he an actual upgrade? Probably not. Is Alex Len a basketball related upgrade on Tristan? Is Taj Gibson a basketball related? So there's a give and take here and it's all about what you're looking for from that spot. And the thing that you know about Tristan is that he fits this team, that he fits behind the scenes, that he can be a big brother to Darius Garland. And unless there's somebody that you clearly believe is a basketball related upgrade that you would feel more confident in, you would feel more comfortable with if something happened to Jared, if something happened to Evan, if you have to give minutes to whoever this third big may be, unless it's a clear upgrade, then I think you lean on the intangible things.

Ethan Sands: I think that's well said and I think that's also the perfect way to wrap up today's episode. So with all that being said, that'll wrap up today's episode of the Wine and Gold Talk podcast. But remember to become a Cavs insider and interact with Chris, me and Jimmy by subscribing to Subtext. Sign up for a 14 day free trial or visit cleveland.com/cavs and click on the blue bar at the top of the page. If you don't like it, that's fine. All you have to do is text the word stop. It's easy. Easy. But we can tell you that the people who sign up stick around because this is the best way to get insider coverage of the Cavs from me, Chris, and Jimmy. This isn't just our podcast. It's your podcast. And the only way to have your voice heard is through subtext. Y' all be safe. We out.