Report: Cavs open to trading Tristan Thompson

The Cleveland Cavaliers are open to the idea of trading former ironman Tristan Thompson.

According to cleveland.com’s Joe Vardon, if the Cleveland Cavaliers “found a willing trade partner, they’d consider moving” center Tristan Thompson.

This shouldn’t be surprising news.

In June, Vardon reported that there was “a ton” of interest from both the Cavs and center Larry Nance Jr. on a future contract extension. Furthermore, the Cavs view Nance “as a foundational piece.”

Both of these statements seem to indicate that Nance is the Cleveland Cavaliers’ cornerstone center.

Though Nance’s designation as the ‘center of the future’ doesn’t mean that Thompson — who has always shown humility and understanding when he’s asked to come off of the bench — won’t want to play for the Cavs as a backup, paying Thompson $18 million per season to be a backup is bad business.

Thompson, who is owed $17.5 million this season, is owed $18.5 million next season, the final year of the five-year, $82 million he signed in 2014.

He’s also coming off of the worst season of his career after recording career-lows in games played, minutes per game, points per game, rebounds per game, steals per game and blocks per game. If the counting stats don’t interest you, it was also just the second season of his career that he recorded a VORP below zero (-0.1) according to Basketball Reference.

For comparison, here’s how the two centers’ numbers stacked up last year:

Nance averaged 8.7 points (58.1 percent shooting from the field), 6.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.6 blocks in 21.5 minutes per game.

He averaged 14.5 points, 11.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.0 block per 36 minutes. Nance also recorded 5.8 win shares (.196 win shares per 48 minutes), a box plus-minus of 3.3 and a VORP of 1.9.

Thompson averaged 5.8 points (56.2 percent shooting from the field), 6.6 rebounds, 0.6 assists, 0.3 steals and 0.3 blocks in 20.2 minutes per game.

He averaged 10.3 points, 11.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.5 steals and 0.6 blocks per 36 minutes. Thompson would record 2.5 win shares (.113 win shares per 48 minutes), a box plus-minus of -2.5 and, as previously mentioned, a VORP of -0.1.

Statistically, not only was Nance more impactful as a scorer, he had a far greater impact as a defender than Thompson did. Visually, while Thompson didn’t seem nearly as lithe as he had in past seasons, Nance was flying around and wreaking havoc as a defender.

Nance also possesses more range on his game. Especially with Thompson giving up his attempts at midrange mastery in 2014.

Nance made 43.5 percent of his shots from 3-10 feet away from the rim, 54.5 percent of his shots between 10-16 feet away from the rim while with the Cavs last season and 50.0 percent of his shots from 16 feet away from the rim to the three-point arc.

For his career, he shoots 43.5 percent, 33.0 percent and 42.0 percent from those ranges, respectively.

To compare, Thompson shot 35.0 percent, 28.6 percent and 33.3 percent from those same ranges, respectively, last season.

In his career, Thompson has made 38.4 percent of his shots from 3-10 feet away from the rim, 35.3 percent of his shots from 10-16 feet away from the rim and 31.6 percent of his shots from 16 feet away from the rim to three-point range.

When you factor in Nance’s elite athleticism and how the threat of his lob finishes causes defenders to stick to him (gravity), Nance is simply the more dynamic center. Separated by one year of age but four years of pro experience, Nance also has far less wear and tear on his body.

If you had to pick one, Nance is the center you invest in. He won’t be requesting $18 million next season, either.

There are actually a number of teams that could be interested in Thompson’s services. Despite a down year, one where he struggled to stay healthy for the first time in his career,

Thompson is still one of the game’s best offensive rebounders and his mobility allows him to defend players out in space better than most centers. He’s a high-motor, high basketball IQ, low-maintenance player who simply wants to win. He’s a guy that you want in the locker room because he’s a soldier. A gladiator.

He’s also just 27-years-old.

Teams like the Toronto Raptors and Los Angeles Lakers are two of the first that come to mind when assessing possible suitors. The lack of mobility from Raptors center Jonas Valanciunas has been a point of contention for years and for the Lakers, while Ivica Zubac is a talented young big man, Thompson would instantly be the most experienced and reliable big man on the team upon his arrival.

The Cavs by no means have to trade Thompson, unless they want to feed minutes to a young big man like Ante Zizic or Billy Preston. However, it’s wholly possible that he’s moved.

Just as it should be.