Cleveland Cavaliers big man Tristan Thompson becomes an unrestricted free agent this offseason for the first time in his NBA career. The one-time champion, who has spent his entire playing career with the Cavs, should look to leave Cleveland this offseason since the Cavs are not even close to even being a playoff team in the second post-LeBron James era.
In 57 games for the Cavs in 2019-20, Thompson averaged 12.0 points and 10.1 rebounds per game while shooting 51.2 percent from the field. He was almost traded to the Washington Wizards at the 2020 trade deadline, but the Cavs and Wizards didn't come to terms on a deal. While there have been reports stating that the Cavs and Thompson have a mutual interest in getting a new contract done, the Toronto native would be better served to explore the open market and join a winning team.
With the 2020 free agency period coming up soon, here are three ideal landing spots for Tristan Thompson, who is represented by Rich Paul of Klutch Sports.
1. Boston Celtics
The Celtics got all the way to the 2020 Eastern Conference Finals, where they lost to the Miami Heat in six games.
After losing Al Horford to the Philadelphia 76ers in the summer of 2019, the Celtics struggled to rebound the ball in 2019-20 and guard opposing centers on a consistent basis since Enes Kanter is not a good defender.
With that being said, the Celtics and Tristan Thompson would be a good fit for one another. Double T is one of the best offensive and defensive rebounders in the entire NBA. He's also a really good screener, a skill that would benefit Kemba Walker and Jayson Tatum.
When Thompson sets a screen on the perimeter, his large and physical stature is certainly felt by the defender and the said defender is usually left staggering behind. Walker and Tatum don't often need screens to score, but when Celtics head coach Brad Stevens does call for a pick, there aren't too many better rim rollers in the NBA than Thompson.
The Celtics and Thompson have been linked with each other before, so Boston GM Danny Ainge should work with Paul and get a deal done.
2. Los Angeles Clippers
If the Clippers lose Montrezl Harrell in free agency, Tristan Thompson would be a great replacement for the 2020 Sixth Man of the Year.
Not only does Thompson have championship experience under his belt, but he's also a superior defender and rebounder than Harrell — who got heavily exposed in the second round of the 2020 playoffs by Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic.
The Clippers blew a 3-1 series lead to the Nuggets in the playoffs at Walt Disney World and Harrell got bullied by Jokic and Paul Millsap in the post.
No one is going to bully Thompson, who is 6-foot-9, 254 pounds and a pest on the offensive and defensive boards. For his career, Thompson averages 3.4 offensive rebounds per game and 5.3 on the defensive end. He's coming off a 2019-20 campaign where he grabbed 4.0 offensive boards and 6.2 defensive boards a night for the Cavs.
New Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue coached Thompson on the Cavs, so don't be surprised if they are reunited on the Clippers.
3. Golden State Warriors
From 2014 to 2018, Tristan Thompson and the Cavs faced the Warriors four times in the NBA Finals. The Dubs went 3-1 and Thompson and Warriors forward Draymond Green got into plenty of battles on the court.
However, Green likely wouldn't have an issue if Thompson joined the Warriors since the former Defensive Player of the Year knows first hand what TT can do. Thompson is one of the few centers in the NBA who doesn't need to touch the ball on offense to be effective. He does all his damage on the offensive boards and would excel in the pick-and-roll game with Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
The Warriors are eager to get back on top in 2020-21 after finishing the 2019-20 season with the worst record in the NBA and one of the worst defenses. The Dubs' offense should be back to normal next season with Curry and Thompson leading the way. But the Warriors' defense still needs a lot of work if Steve Kerr and Co. are to get back to the Finals in the post-Kevin Durant era.
Thompson and Green manning the front-court for the Warriors would make the Dubs a formidable defense again.
Since entering the NBA in 2011, Tristan Thompson has averaged 9.4 points and 8.7 rebounds with the Cavs. He's a good alley-oop finisher, something the Warriors have missed from the center spot.
Assuming Thompson wants to win and is ready to end his Cavs career, it's going to be fascinating to see which teams Thompson meets with.
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