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The Cleveland Cavaliers have signed center Thomas Bryant, Cavaliers President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman announced today from Cleveland Clinic Courts.
Michael Scotto: Update: Cavaliers agreed to a one-year, non-guaranteed deal with Thomas Bryant, sources told @hoopshype . Bryant averaged 6.5 points and 3.8 rebounds in 66 games for the Heat and Pacers. He was a key contributor off the bench in their Finals run. ESPN first reported an agreement.
Shams Charania: Free agent center Thomas Bryant has agreed to a one-year deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Mark Bartelstein and Zach Kurtin of @PrioritySports tell ESPN. Bryant played a key reserve role on the Indiana Pacers' second half run to the Finals and now enters his ninth NBA season.
The Knicks have also had other veteran free agents in for workouts lately. Thomas Bryant, who played well against New York in the Eastern Conference Finals with Indiana, has been in New York for open gym workouts and really impressed the Knicks, per SNY league sources. Bryant is the best big man free agent left on the board. The Knicks don’t have a rotation role for him at the moment. But they are certainly fans of the 28-year-old.
Also: There is another veteran New York considered signing in recent days. League sources say that the Knicks weighed bringing in Thomas Bryant after team officials visited with the veteran big man. New York ultimately decided to prioritize wing and backcourt depth; Bryant is fresh off contributing to Indiana's unexpected run to the NBA Finals.
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A famous NBA athlete visited Rochester Saturday to help kids learn the fundamentals of basketball. Thomas Bryant, a basketball native, partnered with the local YMCA to host his annual basketball camp at Bishop Kearney High School.
According to Eurohoops sources, the 27-year-old American center — NBA champion in 2023 with the Denver Nuggets — is currently waiting for offers from the NBA, while Panathinaikos made an inquiry regarding his situation about two weeks ago. For now, there is nothing advanced or imminent between the two sides.
According to Telesport, Panathinaikos is in advanced talks with center Thomas Bryant. The American center, born in 1997, played last season with the Indiana Pacers. He has appeared in 333 NBA games throughout his career.
On Saturday night, however, Bryant was an unlikely hero, totaling a playoff career-high 11 points, three rebounds and one block in 13 high-energy minutes to help the Pacers return to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2000. “It’s a lot of emotions, man, just going through the past year of just the ups and downs of the NBA,” Bryant said, choking up again. “Playing, not playing, being totally out of the lineup, getting spare minutes here and there. And then, getting traded and not really knowing what the future might hold, but you just know you wanted to come contribute to a team and try to help them win in any way possible.”
The 27-year-old began the Eastern Conference finals as the backup center, but poor showings in Games 1 and 2 led to him being benched in Games 3 and 4 in favor of Tony Bradley, who initially joined the Pacers on a 10-day contract in March. It wasn’t until Bradley strained his hip in Game 5 that Bryant regained his spot in the rotation and gave the Pacers a jolt in Game 6. Siakam called Bryant’s resurgent performance a reward from “the basketball Gods.” Carlisle credited Bryant’s “indomitable spirit.” Turner simply thanked his teammate for his professionalism. “Man, I’ve been playing against Thomas since high school,” Turner said. “He’s always had that enthusiasm, that energy and that skill. … And he didn’t complain. He didn’t pout. If you watch any film, bro, he’s the first one up on the bench (cheering), first one gassing us up, talking to us and getting us right. Me going down in foul trouble, he got his opportunity (Saturday) and he didn’t look back.”
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With 4:45 to go, Brunson stumbled trying to fight through a Thomas Bryant screen at the top of the key, leaving Aaron Nesmith open for a 3-pointer at the top of the key. Nobody thought much of it at the time. But afterward, Brunson said he felt that's when the game started to turn. "Once he hits one, you've got to be on high alert," Brunson said. "I've got to do a better job of finding him. I think he had like one or two with me in the vicinity."
Tony East: "He was great," Rick Carlisle says of Thomas Bryant tonight. "Played efficient, played smart. He seemed to be in the right places at the right time."