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It helps to have the same agent as LeBron James, especially when it comes to free agency.
James and power forward Tristan Thompson are both represented by James's close friend, Rich Paul. Currently, Paul is reportedly entangled in a stalemate with the Cleveland Cavaliers regarding Thompson's contract.
The Cavaliers were reportedly close to an agreement with Thompson on a five-year, $80-million deal, but a follow-up claimed that the two sides remained apart. With Thompson's status as a restricted free agent, allowing the market to set the price would be a logical move.
But James holds the ultimate sway with his status as a free agent, and he's apparently putting his influence to work.
To that end, James doesn't plan to start talks with Cavs until Tristan Thompson's deal is settled. Currently those talks are stalled.
— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) July 4, 2015
The Cavaliers have been anything but frugal this summer. They locked up restricted free agent Iman Shumpert (four years, $40 million) and unrestricted free agent Kevin Love (five years, $110 million), and will likely find themselves with over $100 million in salary commitments.
To that end, signing Thompson to something like a maximum deal (worth up to $90 million) seems like overkill. Thompson's defense proved invaluable during their playoff run, but they already have Love soaking up the bulk of minutes at power forward. Tack on their interest in David West, and the Cavaliers project to have a logjam in the frontcourt.
But again, the Cavaliers have both James and Paul pulling for Thompson. And if the squabble is over a few million over the life of a five-year deal, is it really worth potentially upsetting James? Probably not.
