He wants $14M a year. You can find a player of his skillset for much less than that. I also think you are jumping the gun by calling him an "elite rebounder". He was 20th in the league in RPG, 33rd in RP48 and tied for 6th in ORPG. The offensive number may be considered "elite", i guess. But let's dig into it a little deeper. First, he doesn't play outside, so he camps out in the paint. Second, we were near the bottom of the league in overall FG%. So he had a lot of opportunities.
Here's the top 20 PT/REB double double guys...and their salaries this year.
Kevin Love - 65 - $15.7M
Andre Drummond - 57 - $2.5M
Demarcus Cousins - 53 - $13.7
Dwight Howard - 47 - $21.4M
Zack Randolph - 47 - $16.5
Joakim Noah - 47 - $13.4
Blake Griffin - 43 - $17.6
Al Jefferson - 42 - $13.5
Deandre Jordan - 42 - $11.4
Lemarcus Aldridge - 40 - $16M
Marcin Gortat - 37 - $10.4M
Anthony Davis - 36 - $5.6M
Nicola Vucevic - 36 - $2.9M
Tristan Thompson - 36 - $5.4M
Greg Monroe - 35 - $5.5M
David Lee - 34 - $15M
Paul Millsap - 30 - $9.5M
Pau Gasol - 30 - $7.1M
Tim Duncan - 30 - $10.3M
Serge Ibaka - 29 - $12.2M
Almost every player on that list has more dimensions to their game than Tristan. He just has a lot of limitations. He's a very good rebounder, but he's not a shot blocker and his defenders clog the lane because he has no range. This also makes life a little more difficult for our slashers.
We already have 3 very large contracts. If i'm adding a 4th it's going to be for a Center. Not for a guy who realistically is a 3rd or 4th big on most elite teams. I'm glad the Cavs balked. Let's see how this plays out. Will he still be in the top offensive rebounders now that(I assume) we will have a higher FG% and better finishers? Will he still be top 20 in double doubles? I also want to see how his +/- works out. He reminds me a little bit of Drew Gooden. Drew was able to stuff stats, but we generally played worse when he was on the floor. JJ Hickson has been the same way throughout his career.
Cavs fans have a tendency to love and overvalue our own players. I think that's what we are seeing here. Tristan is probably worth $10-11M per year at most. Rich wants a reward for assisting in the Lebron return so he wants $14-15M. Cavs offered a very generous $12.5M...he should've pounced on it. I hope it backfires big time. Maybe he blossoms, develops a reliable shot and takes his game to another level. I really have my doubts. Either way, i don't see him getting offered anything significantly more than the Cavs offered. So it was worth the risk. Let him prove he's worth it on a contender.
Personally, i'd be looking to package him for a Center.