NBA Rumors: Buzz Surrounding Tristan Thompson, Norris Cole and More
There might not have been much to talk about on the NBA transaction front, but have hope—there could be moves on the way.
The defending Eastern Conference champions are looking to bolster their roster, while one of the up-and-coming teams in the West try to retain their point guard.
Tristan Thompson
Restricted free-agent forward Tristan Thompson developed into one of the Cleveland Cavaliers' most important role players during their run to an Eastern Conference title.
One of their best shutdown defenders, Thompson is a big reason why the Cavaliers went as far as they did, and he is now looking to get paid for it.
According to Terry Pluto of the Plain Dealer, the Cavaliers are in talks with Thompson where "he will either play for the one-year qualifying offer ($6.8 million) or sign a lucrative extension."
With the salary cap heavily increasing in the coming years, there's a good chance that Thompson will want to agree to the one-year deal and get paid even more the following offseason. According to Pluto, sources have shown him that the cap will go up from its $63 million mark this season to $89 million in 2016, $108 million in 2017 and $120 million in 2018.
Thompson is not the kind of player to light up the scoresheet, though his numbers went down with the return of LeBron James. Last season, Thompson recorded 8.5 points per game and eight rebounds, his lowest output since his rookie season in 2011-12.
But the 6'9" forward is capable of guarding multiple positions with his agility and strength, which makes him a hot commodity—and an important asset to any team that looks to make a serious run into the playoffs.
It's very unlikely that Thompson would turn down a deal from the Cavaliers and go elsewhere. Even if another team in the conference offers a big multiyear deal, an extra season with the Cavaliers—a proven contender—and a nice contract when the cap expands is a good option.
Norris Cole
A former NBA champion with the Miami Heat, Norris Cole seemed to have been testing the free-agency waters after being traded to the New Orleans Pelicans in February of 2015.
Coming off the bench in Miami, not much changed in New Orleans as the 26-year-old started just two of a possible 28 games. But Cole did average 9.9 points per game and averaged 14.7 per 36 minutes in New Orleans.
Though Fox Sports' Sam Amico believes Cole will re-sign with the Pelicans, there has been interest from other teams:
The Knicks could use Cole for some added depth with NBA experience to back up Jose Calderon. They are relying on Langston Galloway, who put together an improbably successful season coming up from the D-League, and rookie Jerian Grant.
Cole has the ability to apply explosive scoring off the bench when he is on and can provide a threat from deep as well, posting three-point shooting marks of over 40 percent in three of his first four NBA seasons.
Philadelphia has a point guard situation that would see Cole backing up Tony Wroten. The 76ers' current roster on ESPN.com lists Isaiah Canaan and Scottie Wilbekin as other options, but Cole could not only challenge Wroten, but develop a nice platoon at the position.
If Amico's tweet is true and Cole does indeed re-sign with the Pelicans, he'll be behind Tyreke Evans, who is a proven starter, but will be in the best possible situation out of the three teams interested in getting his signature.
With one of the game's best big men in Anthony Davis, point guards—whether it be Evans or Cole—will thrive in the Pelicans' system with such a reliable scoring option near the hoop.
2015-16 Schedule
It looks like the upcoming season's schedule will give players a bit more rest, according to Grantland's Zach Lowe:
According to Dan Feldman of ProBasketballTalk, there were 70 instances last season in which teams played four games in five nights.
It seems that league commissioner Adam Silver is thinking on a different level in terms of making sure that the best available product is shown to fans night in and night out.
Such a hectic schedule like four games in five nights takes a toll on players and, thus, decreases the quality of games. It could, however, extend the regular season even further, pushing the Finals to the end of June.
Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com
