Cavs: Three takeaways from 113-108 win at Wizards on Friday

Takeaway #3: Tristan Thompson will likely be a big loss in the offseason

It will be a really sad day when Tristan Thompson leaves this offseason, which is reportedly likely to be the case, and plus, he’s on an expiring deal and his camp wanted him to be dealt before the trade deadline.

I really wish the Cavs could keep someone like Thompson, because I believe he’s someone you can really have around in a long rebuild like this. Even with his role reduced, he continues to go about his business like a true professional and continues to be a great leader for this team.

Tristan Thompson in the game had 10 points on five-of-eight shooting, to go with 11 rebounds, four assists and two blocks.

As Cavaliers fans know, Thompson is one of the holdovers from their 2016 championship team and he’s still doing things that don’t show up in the basic box score. Even in a reduced role, due to the Drummond trade, the guy plays hard every night he’s on the floor for Cleveland.

He’s been such a positive influence on the young guys and his leadership can’t be talked about enough.

I would expect that some day his number 13 jersey will be retired by the Cleveland Cavaliers, but again, especially with Drummond seemingly likely to opt into his $28.8 million player option, based on a previous report from Sports Illustrated‘s Sam Amico, Thompson is likely gone this offseason. That would mark a huge loss for this franchise going forward.

At any rate, I think this was a key win for the young guys and obviously this group all together, because the schedule gets absolutely brutal for a few weeks now.

The Cavs have a quick turnaround against one of the top teams in the NBA in the Miami Heat on Saturday, and the Heat are coming off a tough loss against the Atlanta Hawks and plus, it’s the night they retire Miami legend Dwyane Wade‘s number 3 jersey, so they will be fired up.