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Tristan Thompson to Raptors – how it could happen

By Brian Boake

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I’ve stayed away from the ongoing background noise about Tristan Thompson becoming a Toronto Raptor someday, but the latest news(?) can’t be ignored. A respected website, Sheridan Hoops, has published speculation/rumors which appear to my jaundiced eyes convincing enough for me to join the fray.

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Apr 5, 2015; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs point guard Cory Joseph (5) shoots the ball against the Golden State Warriors during the second half at AT&T Center. The Spurs won 107-92. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

The gist: TT is willing to be underpaid (i.e., sign a one-year qualifying offer for $6.8M) in Cleveland for the ’15-’16 season, because he wants to join the Raptors as a free agent. His agent, Rich Paul, already found a sweet deal for another client, Cory Joseph, in Toronto. Bringing another Native Son home seems now in the realm of possibilty, particularly since CoJo and TT have known each other for many years.

There are several considerations for both TT and the Raptors to mull over. We’ll circle back to money shortly, but first let’s solve the on-court issues. Does Tristan have a role to play? Emphatically yes – the Raptors badly need what he’s selling. That’s in sharp contrast to his status with the Cavaliers, where Kevin Love is their starting power forward, now and for years to come. I’ve harped for months that there’s no true power forward on the Raptors’ roster, and we’re going to be severely challenged on the boards. Despite being undersized, TT will resolve that problem at warp speed. He certainly doesn’t offer the inside-outside game of KLove, but that man’s skills are exceedingly rare.

When money rears its ugly head, matters get messy in a hurry. TT is likely to want $20M per season on a four-year deal. With the Valanciunas deal, the Raptors are already committed to nearly $80M in ’16-’17. Super-recruiter DeMar DeRozan will want more money, so we’ll be at the reset salary cap of $90M without breaking a sweat (or extending Terrence Ross, let alone signing TT).

Someone(s) must exit the Good Ship Raptor if Tristan Thompson is going to come home. Obviously, we need to move the incumbent power forwards if we’re bringing in our new starter, so I’m thinking ’15-’16 will be the last in T.dot for Luis Scola and James Johnson. The decision on those two is painless, as their contracts expire anyway. More problematic is what to do about Patrick Patterson.

Time to lurch to a two-part conclusion: Yes, we want TT and he’s got strong reasons (immediate starter status, plus a homecoming/reunion) to join the Raptors….No, I don’t know how to make the money work yet. Before I start cooking up trade proposals, let’s wait for news that TT has signed the qualifying offer with Cleveland. Should that happen, we’ll have some suggestions for Masai Ujiri.

Over to you, Rapture Nation – can you make a TT deal work? Let me know in the Comments.

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