Cavaliers bring back Tristan Thompson

  The Cleveland Cavaliers brought back a popular player to serve as a backup center as the Cavaliers signed Tristan Thompson to a one-year contract at the veteran's minimum of 3.2 million dollars.

The contract is not fully guaranteed, although it would become guaranteed if Thompson is still on Cleveland's roster on January 7th. 

The 6'9 Thompson was selected fourth overall by Cleveland in 2011 and would play nine seasons by Lake Erie, playing for all four Eastern Conference championship teams and the Cavaliers World Championship team in 2015-16.

Thompson has played for five teams since leaving Cleveland in 2020 and didn't play at all last season until signing with the Lakers last April, where he played in six playoff games, averaging five minutes of playing time with points and rebounds of under two points a game.

Thompson owns career averages of nine points and eight rebounds a game and will fill the backup position that Robin Lopez was used in last season.

Thompson will turn 33 near the end of the season and hasn't played a full season since he left Cleveland, playing 54 and 57 games in the two seasons before last season's playoff cameo with the Lakers.

I don't know what Thompson has left but he should at least equal Lopez's output (three points and one rebound in 37 games averaging eight minutes a game) and likely play a bit more for the Cavaliers.

Thompson should add a little veteran presence and an occasional high-energy boost off the bench (similar to Anderson Varejao) should the team not play him too many minutes on aging legs.

Remember that Thompson played just one college season and players that come out really early (high school or one year of college) tend to have a lot of wear on them and can age very quickly.

I don't think that signing Tristan Thompson is going to mean a lot in the big picture as a big man far down the bench but signings like this are good for fans of the team to see a fan favorite winding down their career in a role that isn't a key one.

Veterans like Thompson can help younger players like Evan Mobley by teaching the game, showing how to deal with off-the-floor distractions ( although Thompson might not be the guy to teach that with his experience with the Kardashians), and since Thompson knows and likes the city, he can help with where to go and not go in the area.

I'm okay with this mainly because the Cavaliers won't be asking much from a veteran that's past his prime and someone would have to be in that slot, so why not a popular player at a low cost?