LeBron James calls Tristan Thompson negotiations with Cavs ‘a distraction’

In his strongest comments yet on the issue, LeBron James called the Cleveland Cavaliers’ contract negotiations with Tristan Thompson ‘a distraction.’

AP NEWS | Oct 4, 2015

LeBron James calls Tristan Thompson negotiations with Cavs ‘a distraction’ /

CLEVELAND (AP) — LeBron James was done talking about Tristan Thompson’s contract situation. Then he saw his teammate at a wedding Saturday and changed his mind.

In his most candid comments yet, James called Thompson’s stalemate with the Cavaliers “a distraction” on Sunday and urged both sides to get a deal done.

“The last thing you need is a distraction when you try to make a championship run. And we have that right now,” James said after practice at the team's facility in Independence, Ohio. “It's unfortunate for both sides that we're going through it right now as a team.”

Thompson, who played a major role in Cleveland’s run to the NBA Finals last season, has not reported to training camp as he remains in a holdout for a long-term deal. His agent, Rich Paul, and the Cavs have not been able to reach an agreement over the past few months.

• MAHONEY: Figuring out Thompson’s worth to Cavs is complex issue

While at a wedding in Miami, James posed for a photo with Thompson that he posted on social media with the caption, “Get it done!!!! Straight up. #MissMyBrother.”

Roundtable: Which NBA star is under the most pressure this season?

The four-time MVP denied the message was aimed at the negotiations between the Cavs and Paul, who also represents James.

“I’m not going to go to them and tell them what they should do,” James said. “That's their job. They know how to do it very well, and they’ve done that to this point. They’ve brought in and did what they had to do for us to be a contending team. Tristan is a big part of that run we want to make. I believe that something will happen.”

Thompson remains a restricted free agent and can receive offers from other teams.

• Cavs’ health tops East storylines | Cavs remove Thompson’s likeness

The Cavs went through a similar situation in 2007 with center Anderson Varejao, who sat out Cleveland’s first 21 games before Charlotte signed him to an offer sheet that was matched by Cleveland.

Thompson made 15 starts in the playoffs last season after Kevin Love dislocated his shoulder in the first round against Boston.

Photos: Thompson ranked 70th in SI’s Top 100 NBA Players of 2016

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John W. McDonough for Sports Illustrated

Bucks | Forward | Last year: —

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#98 — Donatas Motiejunas

Rockets | Forward | Last year: —

#97 — Nerlens Noel

76ers | Forward | Last year: —

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Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images

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#95 — Roy Hibbert

Lakers | Center | Last year: 52

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#93 — J.J. Redick

Clippers | Guard | Last year: 93

#92 — Lou Williams

Lakers | Guard | Last year: —

#91 — Andrew Wiggins

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#90 — Taj Gibson

Bulls | Forward | Last year: 75

#89 — Amir Johnson

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#88 — Isaiah Thomas

Celtics | Guard | Last year: 90

#87 — Ricky Rubio

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Nuggets | Forward | Last year: 77

#85 — Michael Kidd-Gilchrist

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#84 — Robin Lopez

Knicks | Center | Last year: 82

#83 — Deron Williams

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#82 — Joe Johnson

Nets | Guard | Last year: 51

#81 — DeMarre Carroll

Raptors | Forward | Last year: —

#80 — George Hill

Pacers | Guard | Last year: —

#79 — Brandon Knight

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#78 — Tobias Harris

Magic | Forward | Last year: —

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Raptors | Center | Last year: 80

#76 — Andrew Bogut

Warriors | Center | Last year: 65

#75 — Thaddeus Young

Nets | Forward | Last year: 69

#74 — Tiago Splitter

Hawks | Center | Last year: 70

#73 — Danilo Gallinari

Nuggets | Forward | Last year: 62

#72 — Ryan Anderson

Pelicans | Forward | Last year: 59

#71 — Paul Pierce

Clippers | Forward | Last year: 46

#70 — Tristan Thompson

Cavaliers | Forward | Last year: —

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Heat | Center | Last year: —

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Cavaliers | Center | Last year: —

#67 — Nikola Vucevic

Magic | Center | Last year: 89

#66 — Chandler Parsons

Mavericks | Forward | Last year: 56

#65 — Trevor Ariza

Rockets | Forward | Last year: 83

#64 — Markieff Morris

Suns | Forward | Last year: —

#63 — Marcin Gortat

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#62 — Bradley Beal

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#61 — DeMar DeRozan

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#60 — Derrick Rose

Bulls | Guard | Last year: 23

#59 — Jrue Holiday

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#58 — Tyreke Evans

Pelicans | Forward | Last year: 84

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#56 — Luol Deng

Heat | Forward | Last year: 55

#55 — Nicolas Batum

Hornets | Forward | Last year: 43

#54 — Kobe Bryant

Lakers | Guard | Last year: 24

#53 — Tony Parker

Spurs | Guard | Last year: 15

#52 — Rudy Gay

Kings | Forward | Last year: 67

#51 — Ty Lawson

Rockets | Guard | Last year: 44

#50 — Danny Green

Spurs | Guard | Last year: 96

#49 — Zach Randolph

Grizzlies | Forward | Last year: 42

#48 — Greg Monroe

Bucks | Forward | Last year: 68

#47 — Al Jefferson

Hornets | Center | Last year: 26

#46 — Kyle Korver

Hawks | Forward | Last year: 74

#45 — Khris Middleton

Bucks | Forward | Last year: —

#44 — Andre Iguodala

Warriors | Forward | Last year: 29

#43 — Joakim Noah

Bulls | Center | Last year: 17

#42 — Goran Dragic

Heat | Guard | Last year: 35

#41 — Jeff Teague

Hawks | Guard | Last year: 92

#40 — Pau Gasol

Bulls | Forward | Last year: 49

#39 — Rudy Gobert

Jazz | Center | Last year: —

#38 — Brook Lopez

Nets | Center | Last year: 36

#37 — Derrick Favors

Jazz | Forward | Last year: 79

#36 — Tyson Chandler

Suns | Center | Last year: 39

#35 — Andre Drummond

Pistons | Center | Last year: 37

#34 — Kyle Lowry

Raptors | Guard | Last year: 30

#33 — Eric Bledsoe

Suns | Guard | Last year: 33

#32 — Paul Millsap

Hawks | Forward | Last year: 34

#31 — Gordon Hayward

Jazz | Forward | Last year: 57

#30 — Dwyane Wade

Heat | Guard | Last year: 20

#29 — DeAndre Jordan

Clippers | Center | Last year: 38

#28 — Dirk Nowitzki

Mavericks | Forward | Last year: 14

#27 — Mike Conley

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#26 — Klay Thompson

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#25 — Serge Ibaka

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#24 — Damian Lillard

Trail Blazers | Guard | Last year: 22

#23 — Kyrie Irving

Cavaliers | Guard | Last year: 21

#22 — Chris Bosh

Heat | Forward | Last year: 18

#21 — Al Horford

Hawks | Center | Last year: 25

#20 — Paul George

Pacers | Forward | Last year: —

#19 — Dwight Howard

Rockets | Center | Last year: 9

#18 — Jimmy Butler

Bulls | Guard | Last year: 98

#17 — Kevin Love

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#16 — Draymond Green

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Knicks | Forward | Last year: 11

#14 — DeMarcus Cousins

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#13 — John Wall

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#11 — Tim Duncan

Spurs | Forward | Last year: 5

#10 — Kawhi Leonard

Spurs | Forward | Last year: 28

#9 — Marc Gasol

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Clippers | Forward | Last year: 10

#7 — Russell Westbrook

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#6 — Chris Paul

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#5 — James Harden

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Published Oct 4, 2015

AP NEWS