On Sunday, the Miami Heat officially announced that they have traded big man Thomas Bryant to the Indiana Pacers. In exchange, Miami will have the right to swap second-round picks with Indiana in the year 2031.
OFFICIAL: The Miami HEAT have traded center Thomas Bryant to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for the right to swap second round picks in 2031. Miami will have the more favorable of the HEAT and Pacer second round picks in 2031. https://t.co/tXN8k1PWY8
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) December 15, 2024
Bryant scarcely saw the court with the Heat this season before he got dealt. He suited up in just 10 of Miami’s first 23 games of the campaign, and even when he did get his number called by Erik Spoelstra, he averaged just 11.5 minutes of action per contest.
Spoelstra explained to the media on Sunday that the Heat did Bryant a favor by trading him to Indiana because he could have more opportunities to receive playing time with the Pacers.
Erik Spoelstra said the Heat worked with Thomas Bryant and his agent to get him to a place where there might be more playing time, with Bryant’s trade to Indiana made official today. The Heat now must fill Bryant’s roster spot within 14 days.
— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) December 15, 2024
Bryant should help to fortify the Pacers’ depth at the big man position behind Myles Turner. Additionally, if he can replicate his production with the Washington Wizards and Los Angeles Lakers earlier on in his NBA career, the trade could end up aging very well for Indiana.
The 27-year-old was a very productive rotational big in the earlier parts of his time in the pros, even if injuries did hamper him at times during that span. During a four-season stretch playing for the Wizards, he averaged 11.0 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 0.9 blocks per contest.
Then, once his stint in Washington came to an end, he put up impressive numbers during his second stint with the Lakers. He appeared in 41 games with Los Angeles in the 2022-23 regular season before he was traded to the Denver Nuggets and averaged 12.1 points and 6.8 rebounds per game.
Maybe the addition of Bryant will help the Pacers to get back on the right track from a winning standpoint. Not all that long after the Pacers made a surprise run to the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals, Indiana has a record below the .500 mark at 11-15 and sits as the No. 8 seed in the East.
Heat fans should try to keep tabs on how Bryant fares in his first few games played as a Pacer and wish him all the best as he continues his NBA career with a different franchise.
