Should the Cleveland Cavaliers trade Tristan Thompson?

Tristan Thompson is beloved by the Cleveland Cavaliers organization but at this point, the two parties may be better off without each other.

Since Thompson’s return to the court, the Cavs are 2-4 in games that he played at least ten minutes after being 16-3 in his absence. The Cavs are 7-9 when Thompson has played this season and Thompson has recorded a negative plus/minus in ten of those contests.

Their offensive rating drops 10.9 points when he’s on the court (115.2 to 104.3) and their defensive rating (110.9) remains unaffected despite the fact he’s their best defensive big man.

Simply put, the Cleveland Cavaliers have been better without him.

Now, with head coach Tyronn Lue starting All-Star Kevin Love at center — and Love’s admission that he’s better off at center — Thompson is a $16 million backup whose skillset hinders the Cavs more than it helps.

Thompson’s game is well-known. He’s an elite offensive rebounder and a solid passer with hustle and grit. However, he’s not much of a low-post player and he doesn’t have a faceup game or the ability to hit spot-up threes. A lot of times, his lack of scoring ability disrupts the Cavs’ offensive spacing and on a team where slashers like LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Jeff Green are receiving heavy minutes, spacing is particularly important.

With Thompson on the court though, centers are pulled towards the rim and impact their slashers’ ability to get to the rim.

In the last six games, games in which Thompson has recorded double-digit minutes, James has shot under forty percent from the field on four occasions. James only had one game of sub-40% shooting in the 32 previous contests.

Wade has had three contests shooting under forty percent from the field in the last six games. In the 14 games that Wade has shot below forty percent, eight of them have come in games where Thompson played.

Green has shot below forty percent in one game in the last six contests. In the nine games where he’s shot below forty percent, six games came with Thompson on the floor.

With this trio averaging 50.8 points per game, their comfort on the court is of extreme importance. Yet, they can’t be at their best when Thompson is on the court.

However, Thompson has earned the right to play based on the positive impact he’s had for the Cleveland Cavaliers since James’ return in 2014. In fact, this is the first season since 2014 that Thompson has recorded a negative on-court plus/minus (-6.6).

Interestingly enough, with Thompson out, James and Green were having career-best seasons while Wade thrived as the team’s sixth man.

With that said, where does this leave the Cavs?

It’ll be hard to trade a team player like Thompson. A guy who gives his all, accepts any role, is highly regarded by the organization and a great friend of James. A player who could help them protect the rim and be an aggressive, switching defense.

He’s just too expensive to be this ineffective and too expensive to sit on the bench.

Considering the effects on their spacing, the Cavs would be better off finding a cheaper option if they need a mobile rim-protector.

A player like Nerlens Noel perhaps.

Noel, an underused player for the Dallas Mavericks, has been collecting dust on their bench despite his size (6-foot-11), youth (23-years-old), athleticism (33-inch vertical) and shot-blocking instincts (career average of 2.0 blocks per 36 minutes). His injury history would make him most useful in a limited role where he goes all-out in short bursts and with his rookie scale contract, he’s a bargain buy.

*All stats gathered from www.basketball-reference.com

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