If you didn't hear about it yesterday, undersized power forward Tristan Thompson was signed to a massive $82 million contract as he returned to the Cleveland Cavaliers. People weren't sure if he'd ultimately re-sign, as the two parties were far off from what Thompson and his agent thought he was worth all summer, but the pressure of not having enough big-man depth apparently caved the Cavs' front office into making him one of the most overpaid players in the NBA.
I don't necessarily blame the Cavaliers for their current situation. The only reliable big men on the roster last year were Thompson and center Timofey Mozgov, as both Kevin Love and Anderson Varejao ended up getting hurt at some point, and have been injury-prone throughout their entire careers.
However, how does a guy who's averaged just over 10 points and eight rebounds per season deserve $82 million? Do a little math, and that's just over $15 million each year.
That figure puts him in the neighborhood of guys like Jimmy Butler, James Harden, Klay Thompson, Gordon Hayward, John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins who all get paid between $15-16 million per.
What?
Cousins reacted the same way we all did shortly after news of Thompson's contract broke...
:(
Trust me, Boogie; you're not the only one. But give Thompson props. He and his guys stood their ground and knew the Cavs would eventually fold. LeBron James wanted him back, and losing any more depth in the front court would be disastrous to their title hopes.
Sadly, this is what the NBA is turning into. The major TV deal with Turner Broadcasting is kicking in and teams are getting a huge bump in salary cap space, so slightly above average or even subpar players (e.g. Al-Farouq Aminu) are getting paid like stars.
Who knew committing over-the-back fouls and not getting called consistently could get you paid like that?
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