Lakers Sign Center Tristan Thompson Ahead of Playoff Run, per Report
Ahead of the playoffs, the Lakers are adding two notable names to their roster. ESPN’s Dave McMenamin reports Los Angeles is signing veteran center Tristan Thompson and guard Shaq Harrison prior to the end of the regular season on Sunday.
To clear the roster space, Los Angeles will reportedly waive guard Davon Reed.
Thompson, the former No. 4 overall pick, played with Lakers star LeBron James in Cleveland, including on all four NBA Finals teams and for the 2016 NBA champions. He last played for the Bulls, Kings and Pacers last season, averaging 6.0 points and 5.1 rebounds in 57 games that year. He did not sign with a team at any point earlier in the season.
While away from the league this year, Thompson appeared several times on ESPN and other media outlets. The 32 year-old will help back up Anthony Davis during the postseason.
Harrison is in his fifth NBA season and has played for six teams in his career. Most recently, he played in five games for the Trail Blazers this year, averaging 8.8 points, 6.0 assists and 4.4 rebounds in 24 minutes.
Entering the last day of the regular season, Los Angeles has a 42-39 record and holds the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference. At worst, the Lakers would play in the No. 7 vs. No. 8 seed game in the play-in tournament, but they can still avoid it with some help on Sunday.