The Los Angeles Lakers reached an agreement with Thomas Bryant on Tuesday night that brings the free-agent center back to Southern California on a one-year veterans minimum deal. Chris Haynes of Yahoo! Sports was the first to report the deal on Tuesday.
Thomas Bryant is signing with the Lakers on a one-year deal, per @ChrisBHaynes pic.twitter.com/i3NAFeRXry
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 6, 2022
Bryant, who turns 25 on July 31, was originally drafted by the Lakers in the second round of the 2017 NBA Draft. Los Angeles waived him after his rookie season and he was picked up by the Washington Wizards, where he played for the last four seasons.
The Indiana Hoosiers product established himself as Washington's big man during his tenure there, although he only played a combined 37 games over the last two seasons because of an ACL injury. He ended his time on the East Coast with career averages of 10.2 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.
Thomas Bryant using his long arms & strong frame expertly over Joel Embiid last season to get this tough, lefty hook to go. pic.twitter.com/dvwSSUClRe
— Lakers Legacy (@LakersLegacyPod) July 6, 2022
According to Yahoo, the Toronto Raptors, Utah Jazz, and Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics were all interested in Bryant before he was officially brought back to Los Angeles.
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