Bryant will be available to make his Pacers debut in Sunday's game against the Pelicans, Tony East of SI.com reports.
Though he was outside of Miami's rotation for much of the season before being traded to Indiana on Friday, Bryant has a clearer path to consistent playing time with the Pacers. With Isaiah Jackson (Achilles) and James Wiseman (Achilles) out for the season, Bryant will compete with undersized centers Obi Toppin and Enrique Freeman for minutes behind starter Myles Turner.
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Pacers' Thomas Bryant: Shipped to Indiana
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The Pacers acquired Bryant from the Heat on Friday in exchange for a future second-round pick swap, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.
Bryant had been an irregular part of Miami's rotation this season with Kevin Love and Kel'el Ware on hand to fill backup center minutes behind Bam Adebayo, but Bryant will help address a need in Indiana. The Pacers have already lost their top two backup options at center -- Isaiah Jackson (Achilles) and James Wiseman (Achilles) -- to season-ending injuries, so Bryant could have a clear path to serving as Myles Turner's primary understudy. His primary competition will come from Obi Toppin and Enrique Freeman, both of whom are undersized for the center spot and better suited for power forward.
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Heat's Thomas Bryant: Garbage-time special Wednesday
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Bryant notched eight points (2-6 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 2-2 FT), four rebounds and two blocks in nine minutes during Wednesday's 134-93 win over the Lakers.
Bryant dusted himself off and moved into the rotation, albeit during the final minutes of a 40-point blowout. After starting the season as the backup behind Bam Adebayo, Bryant has since struggled to be an every-night part of the rotation. At this point, it would likely take an injury to Adebayo for Bryant to even come close to being a noteworthy asset.
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Heat's Thomas Bryant: Season-low two points in loss
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Bryant chipped in two points (1-3 FG, 0-1 3Pt) and five rebounds across 12 minutes during Monday's 111-110 loss to the Kings.
Bryant scored a season-low two points while tying his lowest mark in playing time Monday. The 27-year-old has served as the primary backup to Bam Adebayo with Kevin Love (conditioning) working his way back to game action. However, Bryant should not be considered a viable fantasy option as he will likely have to compete for minutes with Love and Haywood Highsmith in the frontcourt.
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Heat's Thomas Bryant: Muted effort Monday
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Bryant logged four points (1-4 FG, 1-4 3Pt, 1-1 FT) and two rebounds over 13 minutes during Monday's 106-98 win over Detroit.
Bryant continues to play as the primary backup behind Bam Adebayo, playing limited minutes off the bench. He has been a non-factor to this point, offering nothing in the way of tangible production. Kel'el Ware put together a strong Summer League and preseason, which could eventually stand for something when it comes to who should be the backup center. While the position is currently Bryant's to lose, he is by no means a player managers need to concern themselves with.
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Heat's Thomas Bryant: Reverts to bench
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Bryant won't start Wednesday's regular-season opener against the Magic.
With most of the Heat's regulars resting during the preseason finale, Bryant drew a spot start. However, aside from Josh Richardson (shoulder), the Heat are healthy heading into the regular season, so Bryant isn't guaranteed playing time on Opening Night.
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Heat's Thomas Bryant: Starting against Grizzlies
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Bryant is in the starting lineup for Friday's preseason game against the Grizzlies.
The Heat are resting most of their regulars in the preseason finale since the start of the regular season is right around the corner. Bam Adebayo (rest) is among the players who won't feature in this one, so Bryant will start at center over rookie Kel'el Ware.
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Heat's Thomas Bryant: Returning to Miami
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Bryant and the Heat agreed to a one-year deal Wednesday, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.
Bryant previously declined his $2.85 million player option for the 2024-25, but after assessing his opportunities on the open market, he'll ultimately stick around in Miami on a lesser deal. He'll likely find himself fourth in the pecking order at center for the Heat behind Bam Adebayo, Kevin Love and rookie Kel'el Ware, meaning that it may take an injury or two for Bryant to be a factor in head coach Erik Spoelstra's rotation.
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Thomas Bryant: Declines player option Saturday
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Bryant declined his $2.8 million player option Saturday, and he will test free agency this offseason, Michael Scotto of USA Today reports.
Bryant had a down year with the Heat, and if he were to have stayed his role likely would have diminished as the club drafted Kel'el Ware with the No. 15 overall selection in the 2024 Draft. The 26-year-old appeared in just 38 games for the Heat, during which he averaged 5.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and 0.6 assists across 11.6 minutes per game.
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Heat's Thomas Bryant: Big double-double off bench
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Bryant closed with 26 points (11-17 FG, 1-3 3Pt, 3-4 FT), 12 rebounds, one assist, two blocks and two steals over 22 minutes off the bench during Friday's 142-82 victory over the Trail Blazers.
It's the first double-double of the season for Bryant, who also led the Heat in scoring during the biggest win in franchise history. The 22 minutes tied his season high, but the 26-year-old center has seen a larger role of late. With Nikola Jovic picking up a knee bruise Friday, there could be more minutes available for Bryant in the frontcourt in the short term.
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Heat's Thomas Bryant: Retreats to bench
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Bryant will come off the bench Friday night against the Pelicans.
Bryant will shift back to a bench role now that Bam Adebayo has been cleared to return from his one-game suspension. Bryant is averaging 7.0 points and 3.6 rebounds in his last five appearances off the bench.
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Heat's Thomas Bryant: Grabs 10 boards in spot start
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Bryant totaled six points (2-5 FG, 2-2 FT), 10 rebounds and one block over 15 minutes in Wednesday's 107-104 win over the Cavaliers.
Bryant got the start with Bam Adebayo scratched late due to pain and swelling in his back. Bryant wasn't able to crack 20 minutes of playing time despite getting the start, but the big man was able to reach double-digit rebounds for the first time this season. He'll return to his role on the bench once Adebayo is healthy enough to play.
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Heat's Thomas Bryant: Gets start sans Adebayo
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Bryant will start Wednesday's game against the Cavaliers.
With Bam Adebayo (back) unavailable, Bryant will make his first start since Nov. 25 and his fourth start of the season. Over his last three starts, Bryant has averaged 7.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 19.7 minutes.
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Heat's Thomas Bryant: Active off bench in loss
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Bryant accumulated 11 points (4-9 FG, 1-1 3Pt, 2-2 FT), two rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal across 16 minutes during Monday's 98-91 loss to the 76ers.
Even though Bam Adebayo was Miami's best player in this game, Bryant found a way to make his presence felt, particularly on offense. That said, he's not going to see many minutes regularly going forward, meaning Bryant's upside will be limited even if he has productive outings such as Monday's.
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Heat's Thomas Bryant: Receives three-game suspension
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The NBA announced Sunday that Bryant has been suspended for three games for his role in an on-court altercation that occurred in Friday's 106-95 win over New Orleans.
Bryant and Jose Alvarado each received three-game suspensions after both left their respective bench areas and began fighting with 11:19 remaining in the fourth quarter. Both players left the bench in response to the Pelicans taking exception to a Kevin Love foul on Zion Williamson (foot), which sparked an altercation between Jimmy Butler and Naji Marshall. Since Butler and Marshall were already on the court when the incident occurred, both were assessed one-game suspension, but Bryant and Alvarado will both face stiffer penalties. Bryant is eligible to return to action March 2 against the Jazz, but he hasn't been a regular part of the Miami rotation anyway.
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Heat's Thomas Bryant: Ejected Friday
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Bryant was ejected from Friday's game versus the Pelicans with 11:19 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Bryant didn't touch the floor for Miami on Friday, but he got into it on the sidelines with Jose Alvarado. Punches were thrown by both players, so a suspension could be on the table. Bryant has been completely out of the rotation since January.
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Heat's Thomas Bryant: Solid numbers off bench
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Bryant finished with 12 points (5-7 FG, 2-2 FT), five rebounds and one assist across 17 minutes off the bench during Wednesday's 115-106 victory over Orlando.
With Kevin Love (illness) out of action, Bryant saw his biggest workload since Nov. 22 and set a new, if modest, season high in scoring. His role in the Miami frontcourt behind Bam Adebayo limits his fantasy upside, but Bryant could have some appeal as a bargain DFS option Friday against the Hawks if Love remains sidelined.
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Heat's Thomas Bryant: Back to bench
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Bryant will return to the bench for Tuesday's game against the Bucks, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.
Bam Adebayo is back with the starting group after sitting out Saturday's game against the Nets with a hip injury. Bryant wasn't able to make the most of his spot start Saturday, posting two points, one rebound and one steal in 13 minutes.
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Heat's Thomas Bryant: Sputters in spot start
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Bryant closed with two points (1-5 FG, 0-1 3Pt), one rebound and one steal over 13 minutes during Saturday's 112-97 loss to the Nets.
Bryant got the starting nod Saturday after Bam Adebayo was ruled out with an ongoing hip injury. Despite starting, Bryant was a non-factor, scoring two points in 13 minutes. He remains ahead of Orlando Robinson in the rotation for some reason, a strategy that could change at some point should the coaching staff decide to go with the common sense move.
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Heat's Thomas Bryant: Making second start of 2023
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Bryant will join the first unit for Wednesday's game against the Cavaliers, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.
Despite receiving a DNP-CD in each of Miami's last three contests, Bryant will step into the starting lineup with Bam Adebayo (hip) and Kevin Love (personal) sidelined. In his only other start this season, Bryant played 22 minutes and logged 10 points, two rebounds and two steals.
