Tristan Thompson ‘s new one-year, minimum-salary contract with the Cavaliers is non-guaranteed, tweets Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. That will give Cleveland some flexibility with Thompson’s roster spot — while the veteran center seems likely to open the regular season with the team, he could be waived on or before January 7 if the team wants to avoid locking in his full-season salary.
Thompson also waived his right to veto a trade as part of his deal with the Cavs, Hoops Rumors has learned. Players who re-sign with their previous teams on one-year contracts are typically awarded veto rights for the season, but the player can forfeit that right as part of his agreement with his club. Thompson is the 12th player this season to do so, as our tracker shows.
Here’s more from around the Central:
- Will the additions of Tobias Harris , Malik Beasley , and Tim Hardaway Jr. be enough to make the Pistons a solid outside shooting team after they finished 26th in three-point percentage (34.8%) and 29th in makes per game (11.0) last season? Keith Langlois explores that question in an article for Pistons.com , noting that a full season of trade-deadline acquisition Simone Fontecchio should also help in that department.
- Darnell Mayberry of The Athletic poses five burning questions facing the Bulls this season, including whether Lonzo Ball can actually make it all the way back after two-and-a-half seasons lost to knee injuries, what the future holds for veteran trade candidates Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucevic , and what sort of impact Josh Giddey is capable of having in his new situation.
- In a mailbag for The Athletic , Eric Nehm explores a handful of Bucks-related topics, including whether the incoming trio of Gary Trent Jr. , Delon Wright , and Taurean Prince represents a significant upgrade over departing role players Beasley, Patrick Beverley , and Jae Crowder .