Tristan Thompson started 429 games for the Cleveland Cavaliers. However, at this point in the lead-up to the 2025-26 NBA regular season, the former top-five pick does not appear to have any future left in the league.
Thompson already flirted with the idea of being out of the NBA. The 2016 champion went unsigned and did not play at all during the 2022-23 season. That was before the Cavaliers decided to resuscitate what looked to be a dead career.
Cleveland brought Thompson back for 2023-24. The Cavaliers center appeared in 49 regular season games, with just enough production to keep him around in the league for one more year after that. Thompson averaged 3.3 points and 3.6 rebounds in 11.2 minutes per game off the bench.
2024-25 was the nail in the coffin. The Cavaliers had a roster spot open this summer that could have theoretically gone to Thompson at any point. However, once the big man hit free agency, there was never really much traction for his return. No other teams have come running for his services either.
Thompson’s energy and experience no longer enough to earn him another NBA deal
Thompson averaged a lousy 1.7 points per game, shooting 43.7 percent from the field. That is a lackluster percentage for someone who was taking 95.8 percent of his shots from the 2-point area.
The one skill that Thompson could always reliably fall back on was his rebounding. That was still at the caliber of an NBA player in 2024-25.
Thompson averaged 3.4 rebounds in 8.2 minutes per game last season. When adjusting those numbers for the per-36 metrics, that is a ridiculous 14.7 rebounds per game.
The problem here would be nothing else Thompson was providing on the court really gave teams much reason to hold interest in him at this point of his career. That is still the case even when considering the fact that he would be providing an end of the bench option in any scenario.
Cleveland had a hole they needed to plug in the frontcourt. However, they chose to go with Thomas Bryant to fill that void. Bryant bounced from the Miami Heat to the Indiana Pacers last season. There was still a level of productivity with him that was far more reliable for the Cavaliers to count on.
There has been no buzz about where Thompson's next NBA destination will be. In all likelihood, that is because there will not be another stop for his career in the world's top league. The former Cavaliers starter may never be seen in the NBA again.