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LeBron: Thompson's holdout a 'distraction'

Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports / reuters

The prolonged negotiations between the Cleveland Cavaliers and power forward Tristan Thompson is starting to bother superstar LeBron James.

A night after James published a picture of himself with Thompson along with the caption "get it done," James spoke to reporters after practice on Sunday about the circus surrounding the holdout.

James doubled down on his praise of Thompson's value, but he made a point to dub the situation as a "distraction." James was careful to respect both the autonomy of Thompson and of management, but James's message was directed at both sides to, again, get it done.

"Right now it's the elephant in the room. Hopefully something can be resolved sooner than later. I continue to say (Thompson's) value to us is extreme, as we saw last year in the postseason and throughout the season," James said on Sunday.

"I'm not here to talk about ... numbers - that's for both sides to figure out," he continued. "But the last thing you need is a distraction when you're trying to make a championship run and we have that right now.

"It's unfortunate from both sides, that we're going through it right now as a team, and it's not an excuse - we will be ready to go - but hopefully something happens in the near future."

The Cavaliers and Thompson have been embroiled in a contract dispute dating back to last summer, when Thompson eschewed a $52-million contract extension. This summer, Cleveland bumped their offer to $80 million over five seasons, but Thompson is holding out for a maximum deal worth approximately $94 million.

The stalemate has since carried over throughout the summer and into training camp, where Thompson is noticeably absent. So too is any hint of Thompson within the Cavaliers' facilities, as banners featuring the 25-year-old were stripped from the walls of Quicken Loans Arena on Saturday.

James looms large as a pivotal player in the negotiations, despite comments to the contrary. James and Thompson share the same agent, Rich Paul, who also happens to be one of James' childhood friends.

Thompson proved his worth last postseason by stepping up when starter Kevin Love went down with a shoulder injury. Thompson played a pivotal role in helping the Cavaliers defeat the Chicago Bulls and Atlanta Hawks, before falling in six games to the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.

However, with Love healthy and re-signed on a five-year, $110-million contract, Thompson figures to return to the club in a bench role - a role that Thompson assumed last season, when he averaged 8.5 points and eight rebounds in 26.8 minutes per game.

Given that he's a restricted free agent, Thompson figures to return to Cleveland this season, one way or another. With the free agent market having dried up, it's just a matter of who - Thompson or the Cavaliers - blinks first. James just wants them to hurry up.

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