The Cleveland Cavaliers made their first official move on free agency on Monday, agreeing to a verbal agreement with veteran center Thomas Bryant to come back as Jarrett Allen's backup. Rather than wait to fill that spot, it has now been reported that the Cavaliers acted quickly because the Indiana Pacers were about to swoop in and steal him.
Bryant was familiar with both the Cavaliers and the Pacers because they are the last two teams that he has played for. Prior to spending last season in Cleveland, he was a backup center on the Pacers team that made a run to the NBA Finals, a run that included a five-game embarrassment of the Cavaliers in the second round.
Perhaps Bryant is a good luck charm, because the Cavaliers signed him last summer and made it to the Eastern Conference Finals, winning a pair of seven-game series before the New York Knicks swept them in round three.
Thomas Bryant is a good backup center
More than merely good luck, however, Bryant is a capable backup center who is excellent value on a minimum contract. Once a second-round pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, Bryant started his career with the Los Angeles Lakers and has played for six teams in nine seasons, carving out a long career despite his humble beginnings.
Bryant was the primary starter in only one of those seasons, with the Washington Wizards in 2018-19, but he has established himself as a career backup and has been in consistent demand over the last decade. That continues into next season as he gets ahead of most other backup centers in securing a contract for next season.
Last season, the Cavaliers rarely needed him to step into the starting lineup -- generally, when Jarrett Allen missed time, Evan Mobley slid down to center and Dean Wade started at the 4. Yet Bryant did play in 60 games, carving out a consistent role backing up the two All-Star bigs.
Bryant fits great behind Jarrett Allen
A versatile skill set allows Kenny Atkinson to deploy Bryant in a variety of ways, either as a pick-and-roll big, a lurker in the dunker spot, or even as a floor-spacing big standing in the corner. Bryant shot 35.9 percent from deep this season on 6.4 3-point attempts per 36 minutes.
Add in Bryant's elite rebounding and above-average defense and you get a great backup center to keep around. The Pacers wanted such a player as their third center as they beef up the roster ahead of Tyrese Haliburton returning from injury this next season.
The Cavaliers told the Pacers to cool their engines, because Bryant was sticking around. Teams get a window to negotiate with their own free agents before they hit free agency at 6 PM ET on June 30th. Cleveland took full advantage.
And now they will have consistency and reliability at the center position. Thomas Bryant will stay with the Cavaliers.
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