By Canadian Press

Thompson mum on whether contract could keep him from Canadian team action

Dec 16, 2019 | 10:46 AM

TORONTO — Tristan Thompson’s contract status could keep him from playing for Canada’s men’s basketball team at its Olympic qualifying tournament this summer.

The 28-year-old from Brampton, Ont., was hesitant to talk about his status at Cleveland’s shootaround on Monday morning, saying he was “thinking about tonight, playing the Raptors at home at 7:30 at Scotiabank Arena.”

Thompson becomes an unrestricted free agent on July 1, just days after Canada’s last-chance Olympic qualifying tournament in Victoria. The Canadian men must win the six-country tournament June 23-28 to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Games, what would be the team’s first appearance in 20 years.

Thompson has been a mainstay on the national team, playing in Canada’s last-chance qualifier for the Rio Olympics in the Philippines. Canada lost to France in that final. He also played in a handful of Canada’s qualifying games for the 2019 World Cup.

Thompson has yet to play for Raptors coach Nick Nurse, who was hired to lead the national team shortly after Toronto’s historic NBA championship run.

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“We’ve got a good relationship and he’s a great guy,” Thompson said. “For him to take time out of his summer, especially after winning a championship, to coach the national team says a lot about his character and how much he cares about Canada Basketball.”

Last month saw numerous Canadian players declare their intention to play for Canada this summer, including Jamal Murray, RJ Barrett, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Melvin Ejim, and Kyle Wiltjer.

“It’s good that guys are finding times in their schedules to play for the national team,” Thompson said. “We’ve got a lot of pros and we’ve got more coming every year, so the fact that guys are stepping up and making themselves available to play is huge, and it’s great for Canada Basketball.”

Thompson is having a strong season averaging 13.1 points and 9.8 rebounds.

The Cavs, however, haven’t been having much success. They arrived in Toronto with a 6-20 record, and were 13th in the Eastern Conference. The Raptors went into Monday’s matchup at 17-8 and fifth in the East.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 16, 2019.

Lori Ewing, The Canadian Press