Former IU center Thomas Bryant is set to rejoin the Miami Heat on a one-year deal after initially declining his player option with the team.
According to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel, Bryant’s decision to opt out and then re-sign with the Heat resulted in significant salary cap savings for the franchise:
“Bryant over the weekend had opted out of the second year on the two-year contract he signed with the Heat last summer,” Winderman wrote. “The machination of opting out of the $2.8 million option year and then returning on a one-year, $2.8 million deal resulted in a reduced hit of about $800,000 against the Heat’s 2024-25 salary cap, based on how minimum-scale cap hits are accounted.”
Bryant, 26, played in 38 games for the Heat last season, including four starts. The seven-year NBA veteran averaged 5.7 points and 3.7 rebounds in 11.6 minutes per game, shooting 57.7 percent from the field and 87.2 percent from the free throw line.
Bryant will join forces with Kel’el Ware, the No. 15 pick in last month’s NBA draft, who recently signed his rookie contract with the Heat.
Over his seven-year NBA career, Bryant holds averages of 9.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, and one assist in 267 games. He has played for the Los Angeles Lakers, Washington Wizards, Denver Nuggets, and Miami Heat.
The No. 42 pick in the 2017 NBA draft, Bryant has earned $31.3 million in his professional career. A 2015 McDonald’s All-American, Bryant played 69 career games at Indiana under coach Tom Crean, helping lead the Hoosiers to an outright 2016 Big Ten championship as a freshman. He started every game at Indiana, averaging 12.2 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.2 blocks.
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