Nobody knows quite exactly when free agency will begin, but an educated guess put it starting a few days after the 2020 NBA Draft on November 18. While the league and the player’s union are still discussing the details around how the next season will look like, teams around the league are already starting to prepare free agency plans. That, of course, includes LeBron James. While Lakers president Rob Pelinka will execute the plans for the Lakers, LeBron’s presence as a recruiter and approver looms over the process. That’s why it’s no small thing that LeBron tweeted last week about having a drink with his former Cleveland Cavaliers teammate and 2020 free agent Tristan Thompson. He also tweeted a reply to Thompson later that said “more to come.”
More to come bro. For sure!!
— LeBron James (@KingJames) October 30, 2020
One of the potential side-effects of the NBA’s short term losses in revenue due to the coronavirus is that contracts may not be what they appear in writing, because team owners are hoping to hold more of the salaries in escrow due to the drop in revenue. This may result in more players taking cheaper deals to potentially win a championship, a category that Thompson absolutely falls into. He is coming off a pretty big contract with the Cavaliers but after two seasons in which the Cavs struggled, he may want to get back to the bright lights of big games.
Lakers center Dwight Howard, who was key in the season and the playoffs, is a free agent again and is expected to have interest from other teams, including the Golden State Warriors. DeMarcus Cousins has also a popular solution at center now that he should be recovered from his torn ACL and his friendship with Anthony Davis. Thompson, a better defensive player and offensive rebounder at this stage of his career than Cousins or Howard, is a longtime client of Klutch Sports Group and Rich Paul.
We also have to discuss that Thompson has a daughter who lives in the Los Angeles area with her mother, Khloe Kardashian. So a move to the Lakers would not only be a reunion on the court with LeBron James and a return to relevant basketball, it could also potentially be the preferred move for Thompson’s personal life.