According to ESPN's Shams Charania, the Miami Heat have traded veteran center Thomas Bryant to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for a 2031 second-round pick between the Pacers and the Heat.
Miami Heat center Thomas Bryant became trade eligible to the Indiana Pacers on Sunday
Bryant will become trade-eligible on Sunday. After losing big men Isaiah Jackson and James Wiseman to torn Achilles tendons, the Pacers hit the trade market looking for a backup center.
According to Spotrac, Kobe signed a one-year contract worth $2.8 million with the Miami Heat during the offseason. The deal saves the Heat $4.7 million in taxes, and the team is now $3.7 million short of the second apron.
The Heat have signed 13 players to standard contracts and have two weeks to sign a 14th player. Barring another trade, this move will guarantee two-way linebacker Drew Smith a roster spot.
The Pacers are on the trade market looking for a backup center after losing big men Isaiah Jackson and James Wiseman to torn Achilles tendons. This is Kobe's eighth season in the NBA. This season he is averaging 11 minutes per game, 4.1 points and 3.2 rebounds.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 13, 2024
The 6-foot-10 Bryant was selected by the Utah Jazz with the 42nd overall pick in the second round of the 2017 NBA Draft out of Indiana University-Bloomington. However, a month later he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.
The 27-year-old Bryant played 15 games for the Lakers during his rookie season in 2017-18. He then played for the Washington Wizards for four years (2018-22) before playing for the Lakers and Denver Nuggets in 2022-23.
Thomas averaged 11.5 minutes per game for the Heat this season, scoring 4.1 points and 3.2 rebounds.
On December 22, 2018, in the Wizards' 149-146 triple overtime victory over the Phoenix Suns, he did not miss a single shot in all 14 field goals and 3 free throws, scoring a career-high 31 points.
With the Lakers, the New York native had the best performance of his career on Jan. 22, 2023, in Portland when he shot 12-for-15 (80%) from the field and 4-for-5 (80%) from 3-point range. ).
Participating in 277 NBA regular season games in his career (including 138 starts), Kobe averaged 18.3 minutes per game, 9.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.0 assists, shooting 59.3% from the field and 35.5% from the three-point range. The field goal percentage was 77.3%.
In the 10 games played by the Heat this season, he averaged 11.5 minutes per game, 4.1 points, 3.2 rebounds, shooting 42.9% from the field and 35.3% from beyond the three-point line.
The Pacers also recently waived 7-foot-2 big man Moses Brown, who signed a free agent deal last month. The UCLA product is in his sixth season in the NBA, averaging 18.5 points and 13.5 rebounds with the Westchester Knicks, the New York Knicks G-League affiliate.
Indiana is now $126,526 below the tax and has 15 players on standard contracts.
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