Jan 3, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson (13) grabs a rebound past Dallas Mavericks guard Brandon Williams (10) during the fourth quarter at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Cavaliers Encouraged to Not Bring Back Championsip-Winning Big Man

Originally posted on Cleveland Cavaliers on SI
By Evan Dammarell | Last updated Jul 25, 2025 3:42 PM ET

With 13 players on their active roster, the Cleveland Cavaliers are virtually locked in heading into the 2025-26 season. Cleveland is typically a team that keeps their fifteenth and final roster spot open to start the season. However, with the fourteenth roster position still open, some were hoping that the Cavaliers would bring back veteran big man Tristan Thompson.

However, according to Jack Simone of King James Gospel, it would not be very reasonable for the Cavaliers to bring Thompson back. Simone argues that the Cavaliers’ signing of Larry Nance Jr. likely signals the end of Tristan Thompson’s tenure with the team, despite his past contributions and leadership.

For Simone, Thompson’s declining performance, highlighted by a career-worst shooting percentage and a limited role last season, suggests he no longer fits into Cleveland's plans.

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— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) June 10, 2025

Instead, he argues that the Cavaliers should aim to maximize every roster spot to stay competitive in a wide-open Eastern Conference. Rather than retaining Thompson, Cleveland should prioritize adding more productive end-of-bench players or using their trade exception to upgrade the roster.

Unfortunately, the NBA free agency period is already in its late stages, which means the available talent pool is incredibly thin. So, who could the Cavaliers realistically sign to fill that open roster spot? Especially when knowing there's a good chance that player might not be a regular part of Kenny Atkinson's rotation?

Names like Trey Lyles, Amir Coffey, and Chris Boucher all make sense. All three fill a specific need and would fit in nicely with Atkinson's strength-in-numbers approach. However, if the Cavaliers were to sign any of these players, would they be willing to accept that they might not play? That's where things get tricky and where bringing back a player like Thompson makes sense.

Regardless of what happens, Cleveland still has one open roster spot remaining based on how the team operates in years past. They could bring back Thompson and add a key, championship-winning veteran to their locker room. The Cavaliers could also target depth instead.

At this point, it seems like either could happen.

This article first appeared on Cleveland Cavaliers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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