Tristan Thompson returns on one-year deal

This will be Thompson’s 11th season in Cleveland.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are bringing back a familiar face to round out their roster. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN is reporting that Tristan Thompson will be returning to the team on a one-year deal. This brings the Cavs’ active roster to 13 which leaves room for Isaac Okoro to return and an additional roster spot going into camp.

Front-court depth may be where the Cavs roster is currently weakest. Georges Niang is coming off of a down season and Dean Wade has struggled to stay on the court. Thompson will be the third center behind Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. While teams don’t typically carry more than three centers, most teams also don’t start two and play them over 30 minutes a game.

Thompson showed that he could still contribute in some capacity last season after being out of the game for the majority of the 2022-23 season. He’s still a productive rebounder and screen setter which are two skills the Cavs desperately needed.

His minutes will be dependent on the health of Allen and Mobley. Thompson played in 49 games last season averaging 3.3 points, 3.6 rebounds, and an assist in 11.2 minutes per outing. Most of that playing time came when Mobley was out of the lineup from December to February.

Thompson re-emerged in the playoffs after Allen’s injury. He participated in 10 playoff games while contributing 1.5 points and two rebounds in 8.7 minutes.

Thompson enters the season fifth in games played in franchise history (668) trailing only Bingo Smith, Danny Ferry, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and LeBron James. He’s 55 games away from tying Ferry with the third most played. He’s also one of six Cavaliers to suit up in more than ten seasons with the team.