Los Angeles Lakers to Work Out Pair of Free Agent Centers

The Los Angeles Lakers may reunite their superstar LeBron James with a familiar face. According to the Athletic's Shams Charania, the Lakers will work out centers Tristan Thompson and Tony Bradley this week.

The Los Angeles Lakers are working out free agent centers Tristan Thompson and Tony Bradley this week, sources tell me and @jovanbuha. Thompson, an 11-year NBA veteran, was a key member of the 2016 championship Cavaliers team alongside LeBron James.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) March 20, 2023

Thompson and James played together on the Cleveland Cavaliers from 2014 to 2018. The pair made four consecutive NBA Finals, including 2015-16's dramatic championship win over the 73-9 Golden State Warriors. Thompson averaged 7.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 0.7 assists over 295 appearances over their four seasons together. He was last seen with the Chicago Bulls in the 2021-22 season; he averaged 5.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 0.6 assists per game with a .565 field goal percentage over 23 appearances.

Bradley appeared in 12 games for the Bulls earlier this year, averaging a mere 1.6 points, 0.9 rebounds, and 0.1 assists per game with a modest .500 field goal percentage. He entered the NBA as the Utah Jazz's 28th overall pick in the 2017 Draft, but he peaked in a 22-game stint with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2021, averaging 8.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 0.9 assists per game with an excellent .656 field goal percentage.

The Lakers will likely need some help at center as they push for the playoffs. Anthony Davis has already missed 26 games this season and hasn't made more than 50 appearances in a season since 2019-20. The Lakers are presently 35-37 and 10th in the Western Conference.