NBA Rumors: LeBron refusing to sign with Cavs until Tristan Thompson deal is done
When the Cleveland Cavaliers were informed that LeBron James was opting out of this deal with them to hit free agency, it was assumed he'd re-sign in a matter of time.
Those plans have hit a somewhat expected snag, as the Cavs are at a standstill in contract talks with Tristan Thompson — meaning they're still not good enough t convince LeBron to return next season on another one-year deal.
According to Brian Windhorst from ESPN.com, the Cavaliers need to get a new deal with Tristan Thompson done before he will re-sign with the team.
To that end, James doesn't plan to start talks with Cavs until Tristan Thompson's deal is settled. Currently those talks are stalled.
— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) July 4, 2015
This isn't all the unexpected, as many believed LeBron was going to hold out on the Cavs until he saw everything he wanted done get accomplished. So far, Cleveland has re-signed Iman Shumpert and Kevin Love but LeBron isn't yet satisfied.
The real question here is what happens if the Cavaliers fail to get a deal done with Thompson? Based on his comments, it's starting to be suggested that LeBron could hightail it out of Cleveland this summer if Thompson isn't re-signed.
If that's the case, he could always return next year when the salary cap booms and player contracts go through the roof. Still, that would require LeBron to burn the city of Cleveland again, which is something his legacy might not be able to withstand.
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