Contract situation forces Tristan Thompson to miss playing for Canada this summer

Published September 13, 2015

Mar 18, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Tristan Thompson (13) dunks against the Miami Heat in the first quarter at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Tristan Thompson and the Cavaliers are at an impasse in contract talks at the moment, and without the long-term financial security of a guaranteed deal firmly in place, he won't risk injury playing for Canada's national team this summer.

From Doug Smith of the Toronto Star:

"Canada Basketball officials confirmed a Sportsnet.ca report Monday that Thompson will not take part in the FIBA Americas qualification tournament in Mexico starting later this month due to a contract impasse with the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers."

"Because of the financial risk the 24-year-old Thompson would be taking -- the one-year deal is worth about $6.5 million, his 2016 free agent deal could top $80 million -- there's no sense Thompson taking the chance at injury playing for Canada and finding an insurance policy against a contract that won't be in place until next summer is impossible."

URL

https://www.foxnews.com/sports/contract-situation-forces-tristan-thompson-to-miss-playing-for-canada-this-summer