Tristan Thompson Will Be Expensive Necessity, Not Luxury, for Cleveland Cavs

Last summer, Tristan Thompson turned down $50 million over four years from the Cleveland Cavaliers, choosing to bet on himself when it came to future contract negotiations.

Like the Cavs as of late, Thompson is winning.

Cleveland's 6'9", 238-pound forward/center doesn't grab headlines like he should, but make no mistake, his importance to the Cavaliers hasn't gone unnoticed.

This will mean a hefty payday for the former No. 4 overall pick, as he's set to hit restricted free agency this summer. With Kevin Love, Timofey Mozgov and Anderson Varejao all under contract for the Cavs next season, do they really need Thompson, especially at the price he'll command?

Yes, yes and, once again, yes.

Thompson is more than the Cavaliers' best sixth man; he's a necessary piece to their title hopes both now and in the future.

What Stats Don't Show

There's really not many bad things one can say about the 23-year-old Canadian.

His offensive game is still undeveloped, and you'd like to see a higher block total perhaps, but that's about it. For Thompson, the long list of positives far outweigh the negatives.

Let's start with durability. In a season where LeBron James needed to take two weeks off and Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love, Shawn Marion, Matthew Dellavedova and Varejao have all missed time, Thompson has remained the one constant in the Cavs' rotation.

He hasn't missed a game in over three calender years, compiling an impressive string of 272 straight contests and counting. This is especially valuable considering his longest-tenured post partner, Varejao, has missed 156 of those games with various injuries.

When he's on the court, Thompson's motor doesn't stop. He does all the little things that coaches constantly preach: diving for loose balls, setting hard screens, boxing out over and over again.

Thompson is the Cavaliers' primary screen-setter when he's in the game. While this doesn't sound like a glamorous position, it's extremely valuable with players like James and Irving who constantly look to drive.

Tony Dejak/Associated Press

His attitude is precisely what the Cavs need as well. Coach David Blatt already has to worry about keeping James, Love and Irving happy and well-fed on offense. Thompson doesn't get plays called for him, instead making his living off second-chance points, alley-oops and pure hustle.

When Varejao was picked to start over him in the beginning of the season, Thompson didn't complain. After Varejao tore his Achilles tendon and the Cavaliers needed Thompson to play center against larger opponents on a nightly basis, again, no complaints. Following another relocation to the bench after the trade for Mozgov, nay a negative word was uttered from Thompson.

He's been the ultimate model of sacrifice, hard work and putting the team first, all qualities the Cavaliers need.

What Stats Do Show

In 27.8 minutes a night, Thompson is averaging 9.0 points, 8.2 rebounds and 0.8 blocks on a career-best 54.6 percent shooting. This equals out to an impressive 11.5 points, 10.6 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per 36 minutes of play. In 12 games as a starter, those numbers jump to 13.7 points and 10.8 rebounds.

When examining his stats, it's important to note what the Cavaliers are asking him to do.

With James, Love and Irving, they don't need Thompson to put the ball in the basket. He's done an excellent job of limiting his looks (career-low 6.3 field-goal attempts per game) while maximizing efficiency.

Instead, Cleveland needs Thompson to do all of those little things previously mentioned while playing defense and controlling the boards.

When it comes to rebounding, few in the NBA have been better than Thompson this season, especially on the offensive glass.

Thompson is fourth in offensive rebounding (3.6 per game) despite coming off the bench. Only Andre Drummond, DeAndre Jordan and Tyson Chandler (all starters) are averaging more.

His 8.2 total boards per game are tied for 23rd in the Association, ahead of players like Blake Griffin, Marc Gasol, Serge Ibaka and Al Horford. These aren't gimme rebounds, either. A strong 49 percent of his total boards are contested, the fourth-highest rate of all NBA players pulling down seven a game or more, via NBA.com.

“For me, it’s always see ball, get ball,” Thompson told Bob Finnan of The News-Herald back in November. “When I check in (the game, I want) the other guys on the other team say, ‘(Dang), he’s here tonight.’ That’s my mentality.”

All those second chances that Thompson provides the Cavaliers with are lethal for opponents. Just stopped a James drive to the basket? Congratulations, now Irving is wide-open for three. Forced a Love jumper? Now James is cutting to the hoop again. It's hard enough to stop the Cavs on offense once. Thompson's work on the offensive glass makes opponents work twice as much.

As unlikely as it may be, Thompson actually leads the Cavs in offensive rating this season (121), and Cleveland is scoring 5.3 more points per 100 possessions with him on the floor, per 82games.com.

This is attributed to him taking smart, close shots, screening for guys and providing all those second opportunities. If James and Irving are the meat and potatoes on offense, Thompson is the smooth glass of milk that washes it all down.

Tony Dejak/Associated Press

In fact, he's been the perfect complement to the Big Three all season. Cleveland has an average net rating of plus-4.2 this season, meaning it's beating opponents by that margin per 100 possessions of play. By comparison, the four-man lineup of James, Love, Irving and Thompson is outscoring teams by a whopping 23.1 points.

Even though Mozgov has taken his starting job, it's Thompson who's been finishing games lately for the Cavs.

At first glance, it seems a bit odd.

Blatt obviously prefers Mozgov as his starter, so why not finish the game with him as well? One glance at Thompson's fourth-quarter defense helps to tell why.

Even though Mozgov is the superior rim protector, it's Thompson's overall defensive ability late in games that could explain his added minutes. While his opponents are shooting 57.3 percent from within six feet over the course of a contest, this number plummets to just 47.8 percent in the fourth quarter. That's a drop of 11.7 percent from their season average, per NBA.com. 

Across the board, Thompson's impact shines through regardless of if it shows up in the box score.

Future Negotiations

While some may feel the Cavs would be just fine with their Big Three should Thompson's asking price climb too high, this couldn't be further from the truth.

Cleveland doesn't just "want" him. They couldn't just "use" him. It wouldn't just be "nice" to have Thompson around.

The Cavaliers need him, even if it means paying north of $50 million.

Blatt told Bob Finnan of The News-Herald in November:

"

Tristan is an energy guy. He’s a blue collar worker. He’s willing to do the dirty work. He’s a fighter. He’s the kind of guy you want on your side. We love Tristan. We want Tristan as part of this family. We very much hope to see him here.

"

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

One major pull that Thompson has with the Cavaliers is that he shares an agent, Rich Paul, with James. It was widely assumed that Paul would secure Thompson a rich deal no matter how he played this season thanks to his delivery of James last July.

As it turns out, Thompson could have Kermit the Frog representing him in negotiations and still become a very wealthy man. His play and fit with the team have more than solidified that.

Ultimately, what he gets will come down to what other teams perceive Thompson to be. Do they believe he can finally develop a low-post game and become a star, or has he already reached the what-you-see-is-what-you-get phase? Cleveland doesn't necessarily have to bid against themselves, but rather wait and match any offer he receives in restricted free agency.

Either way, Cleveland needs Thompson to stay in town, no matter what the price is.

Greg Swartz has covered the Cleveland Cavaliers for Bleacher Report since 2010.

All stats provided by Basketball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.