Heat to trade Thomas Bryant to Pacers

The Heat has agreed to act as a veterans centre Thomas Bryant to Pacerssources say Shams Charania of ESPN.

The deal will have to wait until Sunday, as that’s when Bryant becomes trade eligible. Indiana will send Miami a second-round pick swap to complete the transaction, according to Charania.

Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald confirms the news (Twitter links), noting that by dumping Bryant’s salary, the Heat will soon have just 13 players on standard contracts and more financial flexibility to potentially convert a player on a two-way deal to a standard contract — this morning we identified Grape Smith as a possible candidate to be promoted.

Ian Begley of SNY.tv hears the Pacers discussing shipping James Wiseman to the Heat in the deal, but that won’t happen (Twitter link). Wiseman is out for the season after suffering a torn Achilles tendon on opening night.

The Pacers do not need to post matching salary to acquire Bryant, as his contract can be taken over using the minimum salary exception. Also, since Indiana has an open standard roster spot, the team doesn’t have to give up anyone to add Bryant.

According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link), the Heat will save $4.7MM toward their draft luxury tax payment by moving Bryant’s $2,087,519 salary. They will also create a traded player exception worth the exact amount of Bryant’s outgoing contract. Miami will be approximately $3.7 million under the second tax bracket when the deal is completed, Marks adds.

Charania reported a few days ago that Indiana was “actively pursuing” a backup center in the wake of season-ending injuries to Wiseman and other big men Isaiah Jacksonwho also suffered a torn Achilles tendon in the fall. Jake Fischer confirmed that report today, with league sources indicating a deal will likely be finalized shortly after Dec. 15, when many players around the NBA become eligible to be traded.

Assuming the trade is completed on Sunday, the Heat have until Dec. 29 to add a 14th player to their standard roster. The club will also have the option of adding a 15th man while staying below the second tier if it so chooses.

Bryant, 27, is an eight-year veteran who previously played for the Lakers, Wizards and Nuggets before joining Miami. He won a title with Denver in 2023, although his role was very limited. The big man played his college ball with the Indiana Hoosiers from 2015-17.

After being in and out of Miami’s rotation in 2023/24, Bryant’s role fluctuated again this season, averaging 4.3 points and 3.2 rebounds in 10 games (11.5 minutes per contest). He re-signed with the Heat on a one-year, minimum wage deal over the offseason.

Bryant’s one-year deal with the Heat would have typically given him the right to veto a trade, but he agreed to waive that right as part of the contract agreement.