Tristan Thompson Says LeBron James Was Impressed During Lakers Workout amid Rumors

Tristan Thompson's workout with the Los Angeles Lakers apparently caught the eye of LeBron James.

Appearing on Draymond Green's podcast (starts at 64:30 mark), Thompson said James told him he looked like he did when they were teammates with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

As the Lakers look for potential options at backup center to fill their final roster spot, they brought in Thompson and Tony Bradley for a workout on Monday. Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium noted afterward that Thompson was "in good shape."

Despite the potential endorsement from James, head coach Darvin Ham told reporters the Lakers have "no imminent plans" to sign either Thompson or Bradley and they were just "doing their due diligence" if they look to add a player.

The Lakers could use more size with Mo Bamba currently out with a high ankle sprain. Bradley appeared in 12 games for the Chicago Bulls this season before being waived on Feb. 21.

Thompson has been a free agent since the end of last season. He finished the 2021-22 campaign with the Bulls after playing for the Sacramento Kings and Indiana Pacers.

A first-round pick by the Cavs in 2011, Thompson was James' teammate in Cleveland for four seasons from 2014 to '18. The Cavaliers made the NBA Finals in each of those four seasons, winning once in 2015-16.

Thompson averaged 7.7 points and 8.3 rebounds per game during that four-year run with the Cavs.

The Lakers have nine games remaining in the regular season. Their 36-37 record is tied with the Dallas Mavericks, New Orleans Pelicans and Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference.

Based on tiebreakers, the Lakers are currently the No. 9 seed in the race for the playoffs and play-in tournament.