Five days into July, the NBA free agent market has gotten relatively quiet, but it hasn’t stopped the Los Angeles Lakers from continuing to add to their roster.
As the period started, they got Lonnie Walker IV, Troy Brown Jr., Juan Toscano-Anderson and Damian Jones to agree to join the team for this upcoming season.
Adding Walker was a head-scratching move, as he agreed to sign for L.A.’s taxpayer mid-level exception of over $6 million despite being a questionable 3-point shooter and defender.
But now, the Lakers’ frontcourt rotation will look much stronger with the addition of 6-foot-10 big man Thomas Bryant.
Bryant started his NBA career with the Lakers after they acquired him in a draft-day trade along with Josh Hart in 2017.
He played in just 15 games with L.A. that season and barely got any playing time, and he ended up joining the Washington Wizards in 2018.
In four seasons with them, he blossomed, as he became a solid rebounder, shot-blocker and 3-point shooter.
Bryant tore his ACL midway through the 2021 season, but he returned about a year later and played fairly well, although he struggled to regain his 3-point shooting touch.
It appears there is a good chance he will be the Lakers’ starting center when next season tips off in October.
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