2019 NBA free agency tracker: Grades for every deal so far
Thomas Bryant: 3 years, $25 million (Washington Wizards)
Thomas Bryant has agreed to a three-year, $25M deal to return to the Washington Wizards, agent Todd Ramasar (@tramasar) tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2019
The Washington Wizards splurged a bit on this one, considering Thomas Bryant is coming off his first NBA season in which he played actual minutes, but oddly enough, it doesn’t feel too far out of place.
In 73 appearances and 53 starts with the Wizards, Bryant made quite a few people forget about the injured Dwight Howard by averaging 10.5 points, 6.3 rebounds and 0.9 blocks per game while shooting 61.6 percent from the floor and 33.3 percent from 3-point range.
Whether he winds up being Washington’s long-term answer to the center position remains to be seen. He’s got to improve defensively to justify this kind of investment, especially since it didn’t feel like the Wizards were bidding against anyone for his services. In any case, $8 million a year over the next three seasons for a 21-year-old with upside doesn’t break the bank.
Grade: B-