The Cleveland Cavaliers just signed Larry Nance Jr., making their stance on Tristan Thompson painfully clear: He’s probably not a part of their plans. Now, that seems like a fairly obvious statement to make, considering Thompson didn’t play much last year, but it may also signal the Cavs’ lack of desire to bring him back at all.
Thompson was a staple of the franchise for years, and after some years away from the team, he found his way back. But as the Cavs look to capitalize on a wide-open Eastern Conference and their wild team success this past year, making the most of every roster spot is essential.
And he may not be coming back.
How was Tristan Thompson last season?
As noted, Thompson was a huge part of the Cavs’ rotation last season, which is to be expected for a 34-year-old who hasn’t played 60 games since the 2016-17 season (during his first stint in Cleveland).
In 2022-23, Thompson was out of the league, as he went unsigned. But the following year, he was back with the Cavaliers, and he’s been with them for the past two seasons.
Last year, during the 2024-25 campaign, Thompson appeared in 40 games for the Cavs, playing 8.2 minutes per contest. He averaged 1.7 points, and 3.4 rebounds while shooting 43.7% from the field.
That last mark is the most significant of them all. His 43.7% shooting from the floor is the worst mark of his career. The only other three seasons in which he shot below 50% from the field came in the first three years of Thompson’s career, from 2011 to 2014.
Should the Cavs bring Tristan Thompson back?
If the Cavs have room to add a veteran presence to the roster who will be nothing more than a locker-room guy, then perhaps bringing back Thompson could make some sense.
As of now, the Cavs still have a little bit of flexibility to add guys to the end of their bench, but making one of those guys Thompson may not be worth it.
Rather than re-signing Thompson to a new contract, the Cavs could look to add end-of-bench rotation guys more equipped to give them solid minutes, if it’s needed.
Cleveland also has an $8.5 million traded player exception from the deal that sent Georges Niang to the Atlanta Hawks last season. They could use one of their open roster spots to add a player to their rotation with that TPE.
Regardless of what they decide to do, signing Nance, who has been extremely efficient in his minutes for each of the last two seasons, could be an early signal that Thompson won’t be back in Cleveland.