The Celtics continue to search for a backup center that can step into a starting position.
According to Chris Haynes from Yahoo Sports Thomas Bryant has signed a one-year contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. Haynes reported that Bryant was offered the opportunity to be the starting center. He would have been behind Robert Williams and Al Horford in Boston on the depth chart.
Bryant, along with the Celtics and Lakers, attracted the attention of the Raptors, Bucks, and Jazz per Haynes.
Bryant is returning to the place where his NBA career started. He grew his game in Washington, DC, and took over the Wizards’ starting center role. He averaged 13.2 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, as well as 1.1 blocks in 2019-20. He shot more than 40 percent from beyond his arc on two three-point attempts per game.
Ten games into the following season, Bryant suffered a partially torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left leg. Bryant, who will be 25 in July, had 7.4 points, four assists, nearly a block, and logged 16.3 minutes per game in his 27-game 2021-22 campaign.
Bryant would have been a great addition to Boston’s pivotal depth, but there are still free-agent options available, including Ed Davis, Tristan Thompson, and Dwight Howard.
It’s clear that this is not the most attractive list. The Celtics may use at least one of their eight trade exceptions in order to add a center they feel is a better fit.
They may find someone they like and can purchase a second-rounder. This route could mean losing a rotation player like Payton Pritchard, Derrick White, or Grant Williams. Or, Boston may make a multi-player deal in which it gives up one of its guards to add a wing.