The Indiana Pacers went with a hometown product to solve the team’s frontcourt depth issues.
On Friday, the Pacers landed center Thomas Bryant in a trade with the Miami Heat, per ESPN’s Shams Charania. Indiana did not have to give up much to land Bryant, trading away just a second-round pick swap for his services.
The Miami Heat have agreed on a trade to send center Thomas Bryant to the Indiana Pacers, sources tell ESPN. The Pacers will send a swap of a future second-round pick to the Heat for Bryant, who is trade-eligible on Sunday. pic.twitter.com/7mFjeICgZW
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 13, 2024
Injuries have ravaged the Pacers’ frontcourt depth this season. Indiana signed former No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman to a contract in the offseason to shore up a big man rotation that included Myles Turner and Isaiah Jackson.
However, Wiseman tore his left Achilles tendon just five minutes into his first game as a Pacer. Jackson suffered a tear in his right Achilles tendon five games later.
Bryant has played sparingly for the Heat this season. In 10 games, he has averaged 4.1 points and 3.2 rebounds in 11 minutes per game. But with over a hundred starts under his belt, the Indiana University alum has had experience playing much larger roles in the pro ranks.
Bryant spent two seasons (2015-16 and 2016-17) as the starting center of the Indiana Hoosiers. He posted averages of 12.2 points and 6.2 rebounds across 69 college games played. Bryant was selected 42nd overall by the Utah Jazz in the 2017 NBA Draft and traded to the Los Angeles Lakers on draft day.
