Tristan Thompson agrees to reported 5-year, $82M deal with Cavaliers

The "distraction" is over.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have agreed to a five-year, $82-million contract with restricted free agent Tristan Thompson, according to a report from Chris Haynes of Northeast Ohio Media Group.

Thompson later confirmed the deal on his Instagram page.

The summer's long game of chicken ends with the Cavs hardly moving from the reported five-year, $80-million offer they put on the table months ago. Thompson's camp had been holding out for something closer to a five-year, $90-million maximum contract, but lost some of their leverage once the Cavs' one-year, $6.8-million qualifying offer expired on Oct. 1.

The expiration of the qualifying offer meant Thompson had no means of reaching unrestricted free agency next summer, short of a new one-year agreement with Cleveland. Thompson and agent Rich Paul were left with few options if the Cavs weren't offering the max.

And while the total amount is less than Thompson reportedly wanted, it's still a good deal for the 24-year-old, as it makes him the league's sixth-highest paid power forward. It also means the Cavs have invested $192 million between Thompson and Kevin Love, who play the same position, a year before they'll have to give center Timofey Mozgov a sizable raise to keep him in unrestricted free agency. Thompson's deal also likely pushes Cleveland to a historic luxury tax bill.

There was also the shadow of LeBron James hanging over negotiations. James and Thompson share an agent, and the superstar has long been complimentary of the young Canadian. While James originally said he wouldn't address Thompson's situation, he was the one who called it a distraction early in training camp, and it was him who posted a supportive photo of himself and Thompson telling the sides to "get it done."

It always seemed likely that a deal would get done. The Cavs need Thompson, and Thompson would have done himself no favors sitting out into the season, barring catastrophe for Cleveland.

While the salary figure will be argued given where it puts Thompson league-wide, he did well to increase his own value this past season, particularly on an enormous stage in the playoffs. After averaging 8.5 points and eight rebounds in 26.8 regular-season minutes, Thompson averaged 9.6 points and 10.8 rebounds in the playoffs, shooting 55.8 percent and proving versatile on the defensive end.

If he continues to take strides in his fifth season, they may not show up in the box score given the team's frontcourt depth and the unlikelihood of Thompson averaging 30 minutes. But the Cavs don't necessarily need a numbers boost for this deal to work out for them - if Thompson continues to grow as a defender and remains a strong rebounder and capable finisher around the basket, improvements can wait to manifest themselves tangibly until the playoffs.