NBA Rumors: Lakers work out two veteran big men for final playoff push
By Ian Levy
The Lakers are still tweaking their roster, looking to find one more big man for the playoffs. NBA rumors say they may turn to some familiar faces.
The buyout market quieted quite a bit after the March 1 deadline. A player is only eligible for the playoffs if he was waived on or before that date, which is why you saw a cluster of activity around players like Russell Westbrook, Terrence Ross and others.
The Lakers were relatively quiet around that period, still assessing what they had on their hands after a busy trade deadline brought in Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt, Malik Beasley and D’Angelo Russell. Those players have settled in, the Lakers are in the thick of the playoff hunt and, with an open roster spot, they are reportedly looking for another big body to take into the postseason.
NBA rumors: Lakers are interested in Tristan Thompson and Tony Bradley
According to Sham Charania and Jovan Buha of The Athletic, the Lakers plan to work out Tristan Thompson and Tony Bradley. Although those two players have fairly similar skill sets they are at very different points in their careers.
Bradley is just 25 and has spent parts of his five-year NBA career with the Utah Jazz, Chicago Bulls, Oklahoma City Thunder and Chicago Bulls, who waived him on Feb. 21, making him eligible for the playoffs. Bradley is an active rebounder, finisher and shot-blocker with pretty limited offensive range. Across his career, mostly in limited bench roles, he’s averaged 14.3 points, 13.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per 36 minutes, shooting 63.1 percent from the field.
Thompson is a more well-known name but perhaps less of a known quantity at this point. He was also an active screener, rebounder and finisher and a teammate of LeBron James with the Cavs for four years, including the 2016 championship season. However, Thompson hasn’t played at all this season, sitting out as an unsigned free agent since his one-year contract with the Bulls expired at the end of last season. At 32, he’s a much more seasoned veteran than Bradley but also has a lot more miles on his body.
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