Former Lakers Big Man Signs with Major East Contender

He was a frisky contributor during a recent Los Angeles playoff run.

May 22, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Bruce Brown (11) shoots the ball against Los Angeles Lakers center Tristan Thompson (9) during the fourth quarter in game four of the Western Conference Finals for the 2023 NBA playoffs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images / Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

One-time Los Angeles Lakers center Tristan Thompson is re-signing with the Cleveland Cavaliers on a one-year contract, presumably worth a veteran's minium, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

The 6-foot-9 power forward/center, 33, is best remembered for his tenure with Cleveland. The Cavaliers drafted him fourth overall in 2011, and he was a key contributor — toggling between the bench and the starting five — during the club's LeBron James-era run to four consecutive NBA Finals, between the 2014-15 and 2017-18 seasons. Thompson started all 21 games for Cleveland during its run to the 2016 NBA championship. When James departed, Thompson stayed. He finally ventured elsewhere in 2020-21, when he inked a two-year, $19 million deal with the Boston Celtics as a free agent.

Across his initial nine seasons with Cleveland, Thompson averaged 9.4 points on 51.8 percent field goal shooting and 61 percent foul line shooting, 8.7 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.7 blocks and 0.5 steals a night.

Thompson was traded to the Sacramento Kings ahead of the 2021-22 season, then again to the Indiana Pacers midway through the year. He negotiated a contract buyout and signed with the Chicago Bulls, but quickly fell out of Chicago's lineup even as the team fought for its playoff life.

The Texas product failed to find an NBA home until the very last day of the 2022-23 season, when the Lakers signed him to a rest-of-year deal in an effort to shore up their bench depth for the playoffs. He played sparingly behind All-Star center Anthony Davis, but did eventually supersede Mo Bamba as an occasional change-of-pace deep-bench option as L.A. made its run to the Western Conference Finals. Appearing in six playoff games for Los Angeles, Thompson averaged 1.8 points on 45.5 percent field goal shooting and 1.7 rebounds.

At the start of the 2023-24 season, Thompson made his return to Cleveland at last, where he served as a Udonis Haslem-esque deep-bench veteran locker room presence for the Cavaliers. Led by All-Star shooting guard Donovan Mitchell, point guard Darius Garland, power forward Evan Mobley, and center Jarrett Allen, Cleveland returned to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since the club's halcyon days with James on the rostered (prior to his 2018 free agency departure for Los Angeles). Now, under new head coach Kenny Atkinson, it looks like Cleveland general manager Koby Altman is hoping Thompson can fulfill the same role for a second straight season, which will be his 11th with the franchise.

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