Deadline passes with no extension for Tristan Thompson

A friendship and a shared agent with LeBron James apparently aren't all you need to get a big contract extension from the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Friday's midnight deadline for rookie contract extensions passed without the Cavs locking up Tristan Thompson, though the sides at times seemed close to an agreement. ESPN's Brian Windhorst confirms that no 11th-hour deal is coming after the deadline, while Sam Amico of Fox Sports reports that the Cavs balked at a final asking price of more than $48 million over four years.

Thompson will now become a restricted free agent following the season, where the Cavs may be forced with matching a sizeable offer sheet or lose him entirely.

It makes sense to have waited Thompson out, though, if they didn't find the price to be right. The 23-year-old Canadian stands to have a big year as a support player for LeBron James and company, and his ability to clean up the glass should help the others thrive. Still, committing long-term money now without knowing how much the salary cap will rise would limit the Cavaliers' flexibility in the summer.

Over the last two seasons, Thompson has averaged 11.7 points and 9.3 rebounds, providing average defense and posting relatively average offensive efficiency metrics. The primary issue with Thompson, a natural power forward, is that he poses almost no threat outside of 10 feet, making it tough to pair him with another traditional big without ruining spacing.

The additional year of information should help the Cavs and the rest of the market more reliably nail down Thompson's fair market price. There's risk on both sides, but this always seemed the most likely outcome.