Ever since James Wiseman and Isaiah Jackson each suffered season-ending Achilles injuries, the Indiana Pacers have had a brutal lack of center depth behind Myles Turner. The team signed Moses Brown in November before waiving him after nine games. Indiana has relied much more heavily on players like Obi Toppin to play small-ball center. While this works in the interim, it was no secret the Pacers desperately needed to add a backup center to the team.
Recently, ESPN's Shams Charania reported that the Pacers had their eyes on a backup center in the trade market, though he did not name anybody in particular. However, the Pacers have officially made a much-needed trade to add a legitimate backup center to the roster.
The Pacers have traded for Miami Heat center Thomas Bryant
According to Charania, the Pacers have landed backup center Thomas Bryant from the Miami Heat for a swap of future second-round picks.
Bryant has spent parts of the last two seasons in Miami. This season, the 27-year-old has appeared in 10 games, all off the bench. In those games, he has averaged 4.1 points and 3.2 rebounds. In addition to the Heat, Bryant has played for the Los Angeles Lakers, Washington Wizards, and Denver Nuggets (who he won a championship with in 2023) in his eight-year career.
Some Pacers fans may already be familiar with Bryant as he went to college in Indiana. The big man played for the Hoosiers from 2015 to 2017 and earned Big Ten All-Freshman and Third-team All-Big Ten honors.
At 6'10", Bryant has good size. He is a solid offensive player who can stretch the floor but can also score in the paint. Unfortunately for the Pacers, he does not provide much defensive value. However, given that the Pacers gave up close to nothing for Bryant, acquiring him is a great low-risk, high-reward given for them nonetheless.
It is important to note that Bryant cannot technically be traded until December 15, the day he becomes trade-eligible. Therefore, he will likely make his Pacers debut on December 19th against the Phoenix Suns.
Thomas may not be a flashy name, but trading for him is a step in the right direction for the Pacers. They needed a backup center badly and got one. With how slim the Pacers' big man depth is, Thomas will likely play a sizeable role with the team. Now that they got one trade out of the way, the Pacers continue to be a team to monitor in the trade market as they look to bounce back from their 10-15 start.