Skip to main content

Will The Lakers Sign This Former NBA Champion?

The Los Angeles Lakers could be getting ready to sign former NBA champion Tristan Thompson, as the big man is scheduled to workout with the Lakers this week.

With just ten games remaining on their schedule, the Los Angeles Lakers continue to fight for a spot in the Western Conference Play-In Tournament. Following a win against the Orlando Magic on Sunday night, the Lakers are now 35-37 on the season, tied with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Utah Jazz in the standings for the 9-seed and 10-seed in the West.

Winning games is all that matters right now for the Lakers, as that is the only way they can control their own fate in the playoff mix. However, they are having to compete without LeBron James, who continues to try and rehab from a right foot tendon injury, and they are trying to do so without depth in their frontcourt behind Anthony Davis.

With Mo Bamba being done for the remainder of the regular season with a high ankle sprain, the Lakers are thin in their frontcourt behind Davis, as Wenyen Gabriel, Jarred Vanderbilt and Rui Hachimura have tried to fill this void.

Adding another big man is something the Lakers could realistically look to do ahead of the end of the regular season and it was reported recently that Los Angeles will be working out both Tristan Thompson and Tony Bradley this week.

Both players are experienced centers in this league that could provide rebounding depth behind Anthony Davis and Tristan Thompson is certainly an intriguing name for this team.

Thompson has always been known to be an elite-level rebounder, as he has averaged 3.3 offensive rebounds and 8.4 total rebounds per game over the course of his career, and he is a former NBA champion with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Coincidentally enough, LeBron James led Cleveland to this title in 2016 and reuniting with one of his friends in Tristan Thompson could be something James wants Los Angeles’ front-office to do.

While he may no longer be the double-double threat he was earlier in his career, Thompson still managed to average 5.1 rebounds in roughly 15 minutes per game last season while playing for three teams: the Sacramento Kings, Indiana Pacers and Chicago Bulls.

With Davis seeing over 30 minutes per game and the Lakers still utilizing Wenyen Gabriel, Tristan Thompson would not need to play a lot of minutes in Los Angeles if they were to sign him. Seeing anywhere from 8-15 minutes per game could take a lot of stress off of Anthony Davis, especially since Thompson is more than capable of rebounding on both ends of the floor against opposing team’s second units.

There are no indications at this time that the Lakers are eager to sign another big man ahead of the end of the regular season, but the fact that they are bringing in both Thompson and Bradley for workouts suggests that they are open to the idea of utilizing their final roster spot for another center.

Should he look good in his workout in Los Angeles this week and be in playing condition, the Lakers could very much look to sign Tristan Thompson and get him integrated into their rotations right away. 


Be sure to catch up on the newest episode of The Fast Break Podcast hosted by Fastbreak's own Brett Siegel!

Streaming on Apple Podcasts and Spotify, The Fast Break Podcast takes you inside the league with the latest news, intel, rumors and interviews from those close to the action for all 30 teams. Be on the lookout for a new episodes every Friday.