The Cleveland Cavaliers made small moves to bolster a contending team this summer. In the process, they smartly said goodbye to a longtime member of the franchise who was long past washed up. Tristan Thompson is not coming back to the team.
It was a story built on nostalgia and good vibes when the Cavaliers brought Tristan Thompson out of retirement to claim their backup center role. Once the No. 4 pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, Thompson played nine seasons with Cleveland to start his career and played a key role on four-straight NBA Finals teams.
Thompson proved himself as a versatile big who could execute a more aggressive defensive scheme alongside LeBron James and earned progressively more playing time on those contenders.