At this point of the offseason, a lot of the major free agent names are off the board. The best ones that do not have a home are either Jonathan Kuminga or the players held up by his free agent fiasco. However, the Cleveland Cavaliers still managed to find a tremendous addition in Thomas Bryant.
Shams Charania reported, "Free agent center Thomas Bryant has agreed to a one-year deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Mark Bartelstein and Zach Kurtin of [Priority Sports] tell ESPN."
The Cavaliers needed to fill the 14th spot on their roster. That decision dragged due to Cleveland's reported desire to make their last big splash a financially-savvy maneuver.
Meanwhile, Bryant's basketball future also stalled. There were rumors earlier in the offseason that the veteran big man was heading overseas, nearing a deal with Panathinaikos. That ultimately proved untrue as the union between those two parties never fully materialized.
The Cavaliers found a way to not fully rely on Nae'Qwan Tomlin as their main source for frontcourt insurance behind Larry Nance Jr. Bryant was as good of an addition as they could make right now. The well-traveled big man is a steady and known commodity.
Cavaliers may find hidden upside in Thomas Bryant signing
Bryant has not been without NBA interest altogether during the offseason. More recently, the former Indiana Pacers center had been linked as a potential target for the New York Knicks.
Knicks insider Ian Begley reported, "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."
The Cavaliers made sure to avoid seeing their main competition in the Eastern Conference snatch another formidable veteran away. The timing of the move was inevitable with media day and training camp are right around the corner.
Bryant had an unspectacular but solid season in 2024-25. Upon his arrival to Indiana, the Pacers center averaged 6.9 points and 3.9 rebounds in 15.1 minutes per game. The eight-year veteran shot 51.5 percent from the field and 32.1 percent from beyond the arc.
With injuries stacking up for the Cavaliers, Koby Altman and the front office needed another insurance policy for the depth. The frontcourt stood out as one of the key areas to strongly consider.
You know what you are going to get with Bryant at this point of his career, and that is a good thing. As far as 'break glass if necessary' options go, that type of predictability is comforting to have.