The Wizards have claimed second-year center Thomas Bryant off waivers from the Lakers, sources tell Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Bryant was cut by the Lakers on Saturday to create a little extra cap flexibility in advance of free agency.
Bryant, the 42nd overall pick in the 2017 draft, appeared in 15 games for the Lakers last season, averaging 1.5 points and 1.1 rebounds in 4.6 minutes per game. He saw more action in the G League, posting 19.7 PPG, 7.3 RPG, and a .597/.364/.674 shooting line in 37 games for the South Bay Lakers.
According to salary data from Basketball Insiders and ESPN, Bryant’s contract includes a $1,378,242 non-guaranteed salary for 2018/19, which is set to become guaranteed if the young center remains under contract through Thursday. Theoretically then, Washington still has the opportunity to avoid Bryant’s guarantee, but the club likely wouldn’t have placed a claim on him if it didn’t plan to keep him for more than three days.
Teams generally require cap room or a trade exception to claim a player off waivers, but because Bryant is on a two-year, minimum-salary deal, any club was eligible to place a claim.
The best center they had in a long time
He could actually help them. Could be a nice signing for them. Will he put Mahimni on the bench or motivate him.
Jeff off the team he is sorry