Thomas Bryant – The NBA trade deadline finally arrived, and the Los Angeles Lakers made a surprising trade that broke the hearts of fans.
Thomas Bryant, one of the Lakers’ best players this season, was traded to the Denver Nuggets in exchange for Davon Reeds and second-round picks.
The trade sparked outrage online, as many were sad to see Bryant go.
The news
The trade was initially reported by sports columnist Adrian Wojnarowski, who said it would net the Los Angeles Lakers three second-round picks.
However, the NBA titans combined the trade with a series of others across the league, which includes the Orlando deal for Patrick Beverley.
Additionally, the net will instead net two second-round picks from its neighbors, the Clippers.
Davon Reed
Davon Reed is in his fourth year in the NBA, and the Los Angeles Lakers are set to be his fourth team.
A shooting guard, Reed is a player who doesn’t see much time on the court.
He has only appeared in 114 games throughout his career, and with the Denver Nuggets, he has played 35 times.
Davon Reed is shooting 36.4% from the 3-point line this season, a tad bit lower than his career 38.4%.
Thomas Byrant
Following Anthony Davis’ injury, Thomas Bryant has been averaging 12.1 points per game this season, surprising everyone.
Bryant has been a beacon of hope for the Lakers throughout the current NBA season.
He has been slowly hitting his pre-injury form, helping the team get the boost they’ve needed a handful of times.
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In addition, Thomas Bryant has been shooting 44% from the 3-point line on one attempt per game.
He is averaging the second-most rebounds in his professional career while hitting the best true shooting percentage on an individual record.
Despite his Los Angeles stint being a short one, Thomas Bryant has won the hearts of fans and former players.
He will best be remembered for the iconic photo of being front and center of LeBron James’ breaking the all-time scoring record.
Decision to trade
While he has been an offensive force for the Lakers, Thomas Bryant has defensive limitations that can’t be ignored, costing the team a few times.
However, the pros outweigh the con in this matter, and the Lakers seem to have a different reason behind the trade.
Bryant is due for a big pay in the offseason, and the Lakers almost certainly weren’t going to afford him what he would potentially get in the open market.
Instead, the Lakers decided to cash in on Thomas Bryan’s form so far this year.
In doing so, they are doing him a favor by moving him into greener pastures.
Meanwhile, the Lakers are restocking their draft assets following the many times they used them in trades so far this season.
What next?
Dan Woike and Adrian Wojnarowski noted that Thomas Bryant’s exit would free up a slot in the team for Wenyen Gabriel.
Gabriel had fallen out of the rotation following Anthony Davis’ recovery.
So far, he has only played in three of the lakers’ last seven games, one of which being only “garbage time” minutes.
In addition, Jarred Vanderbilt’s acquisition only meant Thomas Bryant was expendable.
His rebounding ability was similar to Bryant’s, and Vanderbilt has the versatility to play either the four or five.
The trade was the Lakers effectively cashing in on Thomas Bryant’s good individual season, with several options ready to replace him on the roster.
The team also has the ability to bring in more players.
Ultimately, the Los Angeles Lakers brought in Thomas Bryant with a minimum contract and later traded him for two second-round picks, a positive business-wise.
The Lakers now have more draft picks to find more backup on the trade market and keep an open roster spot to find more players or another backup center after the deadline.
Image source: ABC7
