Free-agent center Tristan Thompson is signing with the Cleveland Cavaliers, according to Shams Charania. The big man spent his first nine seasons of his career as a member of the Cavs organization. Since then, Thompson has bounced around quite a bit. Most recently, Thompson appeared in six games during the Los Angeles Lakers playoff run. The 32-year-old should provide leadership and depth off the bench. Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley figure to see a majority of the playing time. Thompson will likely compete with Damian Jones for backup minutes off the bench. It probably won't be a large enough role to warrant rostering Thompson in fantasy leagues.

Sacramento Kings center Tristan Thompson (quad) has been ruled out for Wednesday's game against the Los Angeles Lakers. Fellow big man Richaun Holmes will join him on the sideline as he continues to sit out due to COVID-19 protocols. Alex Len is expected to play extended minutes with Thompson and Holmes sidelined. He has two double-doubles in his last three outings. Len sounds like someone worth considering as a streaming option or possibly a low cost DFS option for Wednesday's slate.

Sacramento Kings center Tristan Thompson has been elevated to the starting five for Friday's contest against Memphis. Thompson will be making his first start with the Kings and should see a sizable workload with Richaun Holmes (eye), Alex Len (health and safety protocols), and Marvin Bagley III (health and safety protocols) all unavailable. The veteran big man logged his first double-double of the year on Dec. 8 despite playing just 21 minutes off the bench. He could be worth a short-term season-long flier in deeper season-long formats, as he appears to have carved out a decent role for the time being.

BOSTON (AP) — The Boston Celtics could be without stars Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and a number of other players because of coronavirus safety protocols when they face Miami on Sunday. The Celtics are listing Tatum as doubtful and Brown as questionable for the rematch of the Eastern Conference finals. Tristan Thompson, Grant Williams and Robert Williams have already been ruled out for that reason, and the status of Semi Ojeleye and Javonte Green is unknown. With Kemba Walker and Romeo Langford unavailable because of injuries, the Celtics could have the minimum eight players required to start a game. Beset by its own coronavirus problems, Philadelphia dressed an injured player Saturday so it could field a team to play against Denver. Boston played on Friday against Washington, and Tatum was seen on video talking to the Wizards' Bradley Beal, who missed a game Saturday against Miami because of the health and safety protocols. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

BOSTON (AP) — Celtics point guard Kemba Walker will be sidelined until at least the first week of January after receiving a stem cell injection in his left knee. Boston president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said Tuesday the decision was made after Walker consulted with multiple specialists in early October. Walker was then put on a 12-week strengthening program for the upcoming season. He is expected to resume on-court activities in early December. Walker nearly had his first playoff run with Boston derailed in July when he tweaked the knee during workouts leading up to the resumption of the season in the Florida bubble. It left him limited during the seeding games portion of the schedule. But he was a big part of Boston’s run to the Eastern Conference finals, averaging 19.6 points and 5.1 assists during the postseason. The Celtics lost the series in six games to Miami. Ainge said his concerns about the health of Walker’s knee going forward are low. “I think this year will tell... [More]

BOSTON (AP) — Celtics point guard Kemba Walker will be sidelined until at least the first week of January after receiving a stem cell injection in his left knee. Boston president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said Tuesday the decision was made after Walker consulted with multiple specialists in early October. Walker was then put on a 12-week strengthening program for the upcoming season. He is expected to resume on-court activities in early December. Walker nearly had his first playoff run with Boston derailed in July when he tweaked the knee during workouts leading up to the resumption of the season in the Florida bubble. It left him limited during the seeding games portion of the schedule. But he was a big part of Boston’s run to the Eastern Conference finals, averaging 19.6 points and 5.1 assists during the postseason. The Celtics lost the series in six games to Miami. Ainge said his concerns about the health of Walker’s knee going forward are low. “I think this year will tell... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cavaliers have found either a temporary replacement for Tristan Thompson or an asset to bring in other talent. Cleveland announced Monday it has acquired center JaVale McGee and a 2026 second-round draft pick from the Los Angeles Lakers for forwards Alfonzo McKinnie and Jordan Bell. The teams agreed to the deal on Sunday but needed league approval before finalizing it. Also, the team has a worked out an agreement with free agent guard Matthew Dellavedova, one of the Cavs' most popular players. McGee, who won NBA titles during two seasons with Golden State before two in Los Angeles, gives the Cavaliers a proven front-line player who can protect the rim and give starting center Andre Drummond a break. The 30-year-old McGee also has an expiring contract, which makes him appealing to teams looking to create salary-cap space. The Lakers needed to move McGee to make room for free agent center Marc Gasol. Thompson left the Cavs last week, agreeing to a two-year free agent... [More]

CLEVEAND (AP) — Looking to replace Tristan Thompson, the Cavaliers have acquired center JaVale McGee and a future draft pick from the Los Angeles Lakers for forwards Alfonzo McKinnie and Jordan Bell, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Sunday night. The Cavs will get a second-round pick in 2026 from the Lakers, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the teams have not announced the swap. On Saturday, Thompson, who played nine seasons with the Cavs and helped them win a championship in 2016, agreed to a two-year, free-agent deal with the Boston Celtics. The 32-year-old McGee spent the past two seasons with Los Angeles after two with Golden State. The 7-footer averaged 6.6 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.5 blocks for the NBA champions this past season. The Lakers needed to move McGee in order to open up salary space after getting Marc Gasol to agree to a two-year contract. McGee will likely serve as a backup to Cleveland center Andre Drummond, who picked up his $28 million player option last week to stay with the Cavs. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CLEVEAND (AP) — Looking to replace Tristan Thompson, the Cavaliers have acquired center JaVale McGee and a future draft pick from the Los Angeles Lakers for forwards Alfonzo McKinnie and Jordan Bell, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press on Sunday night. The Cavs will get a second-round pick in 2026 from the Lakers, said the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the teams have not announced the swap. On Saturday, Thompson, who played nine seasons with the Cavs and helped them win a championship in 2016, agreed to a two-year, free-agent deal with the Boston Celtics. The 32-year-old McGee spent the past two seasons with Los Angeles after two with Golden State. The 7-footer averaged 6.6 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.5 blocks for the NBA champions this past season. The Lakers needed to move McGee in order to open up salary space after getting Marc Gasol to agree to a two-year contract. McGee will likely serve as a backup to Cleveland center Andre Drummond, who picked up his $28 million player option last week to stay with the Cavs. ___ More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CLEVELAND (AP) — Cavaliers center Andre Drummond plans to exercise his $28.7 million player option for the 2020-21 season and stay with Cleveland.Drummond, who was acquired in a trade from the Detroit Pistons in February, said on an ESPN podcast Tuesday that he intends to pick up the option. Drummond's decision had been expected, but it's the first time he had publicly stated his intentions.“Yeah, that’s going to be pretty hard to give up, so you can count on me being in Cleveland still,” Drummond said with a laugh during the interview in which he discussed beer, his love of music and that he had started taking acting lessons. "I definitely will be in Cleveland.”Drummond must notify the Cavs in writing about the option by Oct. 17. The NBA's offseason calendar has been pushed back due to the COVID-19 pandemic.The Cavs surprised many around the league when they obtained Drummond, a two-time All-Star in Detroit. His arrival seemed to create a logjam in the front court since Cleveland already... [More]

Cleveland (AP) — The Cleveland Cavaliers are missing from the NBA's Disney World summer bubble. They hope Commissioner Adam Silver doesn't need to pop their plans again.One of eight teams whose COVID-19-interrupted season ended when the league decided to resume play with 22 teams in Florida next month, the Cavs are using their omission as fuel."Whatever it is we have to do as a group this summer to get better, we need to go out and do that,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said Tuesday on a Zoom call. “Whatever party the NBA is throwing, this one happens to be in Orlando, we need to do whatever we can in our power to make sure that we’re getting invited to the party — and that’s been the message to our guys.”The Disney slight was an odd finish to the Cavs' strange, staggered season. It will be remembered for first-year coach John Beilein's stunning departure at the All-Star break, the acquisition of star center Andre Drummond and the team's brief resurgence under Bickerstaff, who exuded restraint... [More]

Cleveland (AP) — The Cleveland Cavaliers are missing from the NBA's Disney World summer bubble. They hope NBA Commissioner Adam Silver doesn't need to pop their plans again.One of eight teams whose COVID-19-interrupted season ended when the league decided to resume play with 22 teams in Florida next month, the Cavs are using their omission as fuel."Whatever it is we have to do as a group this summer to get better, we need to go out and do that,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said Tuesday on a Zoom call. “Whatever party the NBA is throwing, this one happens to be in Orlando, we need to do whatever we can in our power to make sure that we’re getting invited to the party — and that’s been the message to our guys.”The Disney slight was an odd finish to the Cavs' strange, staggered season. It will be remembered for first-year coach John Beilein's stunning departure at the All-Star break, the acquisition of star center Andre Drummond and the team's brief resurgence under Bickerstaff, who exuded restraint... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — The NBA has suspended its season “until further notice" after a Utah Jazz player tested positive Wednesday for the coronavirus, a move that came only hours after the majority of the league's owners were leaning toward playing games without fans in arenas.Now there will be no games at all, at least for the time being. A person with knowledge of the situation said the Jazz player who tested positive was center Rudy Gobert. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither the league nor the team confirmed the test.“The NBA is suspending game play following the conclusion of tonight’s schedule of games until further notice,” the league said in a statement sent shortly after 9:30 p.m. EDT. “The NBA will use this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic.”The test result, the NBA said, was reported shortly before the scheduled tip-off time for the Utah at Oklahoma City game on Wednesday night was called... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — The NBA has suspended its season “until further notice" after a Utah Jazz player tested positive Wednesday for the coronavirus, a move that came only hours after the majority of the league's owners were leaning toward playing games without fans in arenas.Now there will be no games at all, at least for the time being. A person with knowledge of the situation said the Jazz player who tested positive was center Rudy Gobert. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither the league nor the team confirmed the test.“The NBA is suspending game play following the conclusion of tonight’s schedule of games until further notice,” the league said in a statement sent shortly after 9:30 p.m. EDT. “The NBA will use this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic.”The test result, the NBA said, was reported shortly before the scheduled tip-off time for the Utah at Oklahoma City game on Wednesday night was called... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — The NBA has suspended its season “until further notice" after a Utah Jazz player tested positive Wednesday for the coronavirus, a move that came only hours after the majority of the league's owners were leaning toward playing games without fans in arenas.Now there will be no games at all, at least for the time being. A person with knowledge of the situation said the Jazz player who tested positive was center Rudy Gobert. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither the league nor the team confirmed the test.“The NBA is suspending game play following the conclusion of tonight’s schedule of games until further notice,” the league said in a statement sent shortly after 9:30 p.m. EDT. “The NBA will use this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic.”The test result, the NBA said, was reported shortly before the scheduled tip-off time for the Utah at Oklahoma City game on Wednesday night was called... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — The NBA has suspended its season “until further notice" after a Utah Jazz player tested positive Wednesday for the coronavirus, a move that came only hours after the majority of the league's owners were leaning toward playing games without fans in arenas.Now there will be no games at all, at least for the time being. A person with knowledge of the situation said the Jazz player who tested positive was center Rudy Gobert. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither the league nor the team confirmed the test.“The NBA is suspending game play following the conclusion of tonight’s schedule of games until further notice,” the league said in a statement sent shortly after 9:30 p.m. EDT. “The NBA will use this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic.”The test result, the NBA said, was reported shortly before the scheduled tip-off time for the Utah at Oklahoma City game on Wednesday night was called... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — The NBA has suspended its season “until further notice" after a Utah Jazz player tested positive Wednesday for the coronavirus, a move that came only hours after the majority of the league's owners were leaning toward playing games without fans in arenas.Now there will be no games at all, at least for the time being. A person with knowledge of the situation said the Jazz player who tested positive was center Rudy Gobert. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither the league nor the team confirmed the test.“The NBA is suspending game play following the conclusion of tonight’s schedule of games until further notice,” the league said in a statement sent shortly after 9:30 p.m. EDT. “The NBA will use this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic.”The test result, the NBA said, was reported shortly before the scheduled tip-off time for the Utah at Oklahoma City game on Wednesday night was called... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — The NBA has suspended its season “until further notice" after a Utah Jazz player tested positive Wednesday for the coronavirus, a move that came only hours after the majority of the league's owners were leaning toward playing games without fans in arenas.Now there will be no games at all, at least for the time being. A person with knowledge of the situation said the Jazz player who tested positive was center Rudy Gobert. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither the league nor the team confirmed the test.“The NBA is suspending game play following the conclusion of tonight’s schedule of games until further notice,” the league said in a statement sent shortly after 9:30 p.m. EDT. “The NBA will use this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic.”The test result, the NBA said, was reported shortly before the scheduled tip-off time for the Utah at Oklahoma City game on Wednesday night was called... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — The NBA has suspended its season “until further notice" after a Utah Jazz player tested positive Wednesday for the coronavirus, a move that came only hours after the majority of the league's owners were leaning toward playing games without fans in arenas.Now there will be no games at all, at least for the time being. A person with knowledge of the situation said the Jazz player who tested positive was center Rudy Gobert. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither the league nor the team confirmed the presumptive positive test.“The NBA is suspending game play following the conclusion of tonight’s schedule of games until further notice,” the league said in a statement sent shortly after 9:30 p.m. EDT. “The NBA will use this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic.”The test result, the NBA said, was reported shortly before the scheduled tip-off time for the Utah at Oklahoma City game on Wednesday... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — The NBA has suspended its season “until further notice" after a Utah Jazz player tested positive Wednesday for the coronavirus, a move that came only hours after the majority of the league's owners were leaning toward playing games without fans in arenas.Now there will be no games at all, at least for the time being. A person with knowledge of the situation said the Jazz player who tested positive was center Rudy Gobert. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither the league nor the team confirmed the presumptive positive test.“The NBA is suspending game play following the conclusion of tonight’s schedule of games until further notice,” the league said in a statement sent shortly after 9:30 p.m. EDT. “The NBA will use this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic.”The test result, the NBA said, was reported shortly before the scheduled tip-off time for the Utah at Oklahoma City game on Wednesday... [More]