Tristan Thompson explains why he earned his money

LeBron James recent comments about requesting help have sparked plenty of conversation and now Tristan Thompson is speaking up.

As the Cleveland Cavaliers look to repeat and win their second NBA championship, four-time MVP LeBron James realizes his team must add a piece or two to knock off the loaded Golden State Warriors for the second straight season.

LeBron hasn’t been shy, as he’s publically stated on multiple occasions that Cleveland needs a playmaker. However, there’s been speculation that LeBron was the primary reason the front office gave Tristan Thompson his five-year extension worth $82 million.

When Thompson caught wind of that rumor, he quickly defended his brand.

“I earned my money,” Thompson told ESPN of his five-year, $82 million extension he signed in 2015. “LeBron’s not my agent. I earned my money doing what I do; you can ask anyone around the league. I opened doors for other guys. It’s a business, and you get paid what the market value is for you. I got my money and opened up doors for other guys that play hard and do the little things.”

It’s easy to see Thompson would take offense to such a claim considering how hard he plays every single night.

“Every year [there is somebody],” Thompson told ESPN. “Whether it’s JaVale McGee, then [Nikola] Vucevic, [Kenneth] Faried, then myself, [Bismack] Biyombo, [Timofey] Mozgov got paid this summer too, extra. It’s a trickle-down effect. It’s whatever the market value is. So, I’m not worried about that. Whatever the market value is, you got to pay. It’s part of the business.

LeBron didn’t want to stir up any more hostility.

“He’s the one rim protector that we have, and we need him to continue to do that,” James said, taking a thinly veiled shot at the Cavs’ roster construction. “Making guys adjust their shots, blocking shots, cleaning glass. You know he’s going to clean glass, but when he’s active like that — trying to get shots blocked and things of that nature, it helps us a lot.”

Barring any major injury, everyone knows Cleveland will be back in the finals, but that’s not the goal. LeBron wants to win as many rings as possible.