With just less than a week to go before the start of training camp, ESPN reports that a $14 million gap remains in the contract negotiations between the Cleveland Cavaliers and forward Tristan Thompson.

At the start of free agency in July, the Cavs offered the 24-year-old a five-year, $80 million deal. According to multiple sources, Thompson's camp has been eyeing a max contract of five years and $94 million. As noted by ESPN, the talks have been in a virtual standstill since early July, with not much optimism coming from either side.

The report points out that if no deal is reached by the end of the week, Thompson may sign the Cavs' one-year qualifying offer of $6.9 million to become an unrestricted free agent next year.

Last month, Thompson's agent, Rich Paul, told ESPN that if his client signs the one-year qualifying offer, he will not re-sign with the Cavs in 2016.

The report highlights that the Cavs believe that their offer is a fair-market contract, with players like Draymond Green of the world champion Golden State Warriors ($16.4 million annually) and Jonas Valanciunas of the Toronto Raptors (16 million) getting deals around that neighborhood.

The report also points out that Thompson's camp expects that there will be a strong market for the rebounding specialist next summer, with more than 20 teams expected to have more than $20 million in cap space. ESPN notes that Thompson's age, and the fact that he hasn't missed a game in three seasons are also factors in their belief that he will bet multiple offers that will average $20 million per year.

Thompson and LeBron James' relationship is crucial in the negotiations. The two players not only have a great relationship, they also share the same agent. While James has not publicly played a part in the negotiations, he has been quoted saying he thinks Thompson should be a Cavalier for life.