Lakers Are Said to Be Interested in Trading for Mychal Thompson

With the National Basketball Assn. trading deadline two weeks away, there are increasing reports that the Lakers are interested in San Antonio’s Mychal Thompson as a possible backup center to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Laker General Manager Jerry West was out of town Saturday and unavailable for comment, but John Phillips, Thompson’s Portland-based agent, told reporters that “you’re hearing the right things” regarding the Lakers’ interest in Thompson.

Whether the Lakers actually make a deal for Thompson probably hinges in large part on what the Spurs are demanding in return. Using the Clippers’ trade of Kurt Nimphius as a barometer, for example, it would appear that the Lakers would be willing to part with a first- and second-round draft choices for Thompson, as Detroit did for Nimphius.

Thompson, who turned 32 on Friday, is averaging 12.7 points a game as backup to Spur center Artis Gilmore. He also is registering career lows in rebounding and shooting percentage with the Spurs.

The 6-foot 10-inch, 226-pound Thompson is in his eighth season in the NBA and has two years remaining on a contract that reportedly is for $600,000 a season. He recently told San Antonio reporters that he would like to finish his career there.