NBA free agency is starting to wind down with most teams having made all of their key offseason moves. The Miami Heat find themselves in an interesting situation as they are considered the frontrunners to land Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard. The Heat didn't have much cap space to spend in NBA free agency so pulling off a trade for Lillard would certainly be their best move of the offseason. But while they're playing the waiting game on how the Blazers intend to proceed, the Heat's top move of free agency so far has been the signing of backup center Thomas Bryant.
One of the issues the Heat faced in their 2023 NBA Finals series against the Denver Nuggets was their lack of size. Behind Bam Adebayo, the Heat just didn't have the necessary bodies up front. It was an issue they faced back in the 2020 Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers as well with Adebayo back then being their only option to match up with the Lakers frontline. The Heat do have a couple of players in Nikola Jovic, Omer Yurtseven and Orlando Robinson who could conceivably become key frontcourt contributors. But the Heat needed to go and get more experienced option and they did just that.
Thomas Bryant was actually a member of the Nuggets this past season. He didn't play much for them during the second half of the season after he was acquired in a trade with the Lakers at the deadline. By the time the playoffs rolled around, he was pretty much out of the rotation. That's not indicative of his ability to contribute. Nuggets head coach Michael Malone prefers to run a tight rotation.
Prior to being traded to the Nuggets, Bryant was one having one of the best seasons of his career with the Lakers. He had moved into the starting lineup in place of the injured Anthony Davis and was putting up phenomenal numbers. During a stretch of games in which Davis was sidelined, Bryant averaged 16.9 points per game and 10.5 rebounds over a 13 game stretch.
Thomas Bryant brings an element of size and skill that Heat sorely lack in the frontcourt. With the Lakers, he showed that he can be a valuable pick and roll or pick and pop threat. He has good hands and good ability to roll to the basket and finish. He can also pop out and shoot the three-pointer with consistency. He holds a career average of 36.6 percent shooting from the three-point line and he shot a career-high 44.1 percent from three-point range with the Lakers and Nuggets.
Bryant's ability on the glass was also a point of emphasis during his play with the Lakers. His 6.8 rebounds were the second-highest mark of his career.
Depending on what the Heat plan to do with their frontcourt rotation, Bryant could possibly find himself in the starting lineup. The Heat also re-signed Kevin Love and he may be the early favorite to start at power forward alongside Adebayo. Or the Heat could opt to shift Adebayo to power forward and start Bryant at center. Whatever the case may be, the Heat grabbed one of the top big men available on the free agent market. It's a move that's gotten lost in the shuffle as the Lillard situation has dominated the Heat's offseason conversation. But it's the type of move that could end up being of the top moves in free agency in the league.
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