The Heat and Thomas Bryant have reached an agreement on a new one-year contract, league sources tell Marc Stein. The deal will be worth the veteran’s minimum, tweets Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.
Bryant, who initially signed a two-year, minimum-salary contract with the Heat last summer, averaged 5.7 points and 3.7 rebounds in just 11.6 minutes per game across 38 appearances.
Miami had envisioned him as the backup at the five behind Bam Adebayo, but the fit wasn’t quite as smooth as either side has hoped, and the 26-year-old was in and out of the rotation for much of the season.
Because the second year of that initial contract was a player option (worth $2.85M), Bryant was able to opt out and talk to other potential suitors on the open market. However, it seems as if he wasn’t offered any opportunities he liked more than one to remain in Miami for another season.
Bryant will earn slightly less ($2.8M) on his new contract than he would have on his option, while the Heat’s charge for cap and tax purposes will be just $2.09M. He’ll join a group of centers that features Kevin Love (who also agreed to a new deal with the Heat) and rookie Kel’el Ware.
Orlando Robinson also remains on the roster on a non-guaranteed contract, but the new deals with Bryant and Love, along with the selection of Ware, make it less likely that he’ll be back, tweets Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel.
More must-reads:
The NBA preseason is well underway, with all eyes on the Los Angeles Lakers. JJ Redick’s side is expected to be among the favorites this season. However, it’s safe to say they’ve not started the preseason in true contenders’ fashion. The Purple Gold have looked lackluster and suffered back-to-back defeats against Phoenix and Golden State. While these losses might not seem much on the surface, given that they are just from exhibition games, it might be an indication of what’s to come for LA. With the regular season just a couple of weeks away, the preseason presents teams with an opportunity to get warmed up before the actual competition. As expected, most of the teams use these fixtures to get any of the rust their stars might’ve picked up during the long offseason. However, that’s not the case with the Lakers. JJ Redick hasn’t fielded either of his superstars, LeBron James and Luka Doncic. In fact, even Austin Reaves sat out Sunday’s matchup against the Warriors. Of course, the Lakers’ head coach’s behaviour has raised a few eyebrows. Lakers Insider Anthony Irwin can’t seem to wrap his head around Redick’s unusual tactics for the preseason. Although he acknowledged the reason behind LeBron James’ absence, he went down on the rest of the decisions made by the LA coaching staff. “Well, come on, man. We’re with Luka; he’s entering his prime. He played a few games over the summer weeks ago. He can practice, you know,” Irwin said. “Like it’s, Austin Reaves, like— it’s also not as if this team is coming off some crazy playoff run last year. Y’all got your a– kicked in the first round. That’s why somebody asked me, like we, you know, have you ever seen a great Lakers team be this flippant over the training camp? And I was like, not a team that got embarrassed in the first round.” Well, the reporter does have a point. It’s not like the players are coming off a short offseason; if anything, they got extra time to recover after being knocked out in the first round of the playoffs. Although you could argue that Luka Doncic had a grueling summer, with him participating in the FIBA EuroBasket representing Slovenia, even he can clock in 10-15 minutes. Irwin concluded by a simple question, “But if you’re sitting here, a week into training camp, and the only thing that appears to matter is health and recovery, after a really long offseason. Then what are we doing, like, honestly?” It seems like the Purple Gold is taking the preseason pretty lightly. While it would’ve been one thing if they were coming off a deep playoff run and had a proven roster, that’s not what we’re looking at right now, are we? This should be a reason for concern for the Lakers Nation, who are hoping this will finally be their year. Now, will these questions prompt JJ Redick to change his ways for the upcoming preseason games? That’s something only time will tell. But one thing’s for sure, if the Lakers do lose their next preseason game against the Warriors once again, it will not look good for LA. More so, given that Redick won’t have any more excuses to hide his questionable decision-making. Meanwhile, the Purple Gold have suffered another massive blow in the preseason with a huge LeBron James update. The Lakers receive a grim LeBron James injury update The Los Angeles Lakers fans have been eager to see LeBron James take the court during the preseason as he enters his 23rd year in the NBA. However, they will have to wait a bit longer. This comes after ESPN Insider Shams Charania gave a massive update on the 40-year-old forward’s health. While JJ Redick already confirmed that James was absent due to a glute injury, no one expected it to be a serious one. But Charania’s report has changed that. “I’m told LeBron James has started to ramp up here,” he said. “He’s doing a little bit on the court. But I’m told the expectation is still he’s likely gonna be out for the preseason, the goal being to be ready for opening night against the Golden State Warriors. He’s doing more and more on the court, starting to do more basketball activities, but we’ll see if he’s ready to get a game in before the regular season.” Well, this shouldn’t be much of a surprise given James’ age. The 21-time All-Star’s presence in the league, given his age, is quite commendable, let alone his competing at the level he does. So, instead of ramping up, James ideally should not be worrying about getting minutes in the preseason and focus on getting ready for the opening night. Still, it’s a bummer for the Lakers, who look like in dire need of his help even in the preseason. Now, it will be worth watching if this issue is just a small one or something big, as the new season edges closer.
Jesús Montero failed to develop into the baseball star that some thought he might, despite repeatedly appearing on preseason top prospect rankings. The former New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners catcher failed to capitalize on that potential and turn it into a long career. Once viewed as New York's "catcher of the future," Montero played in just 226 games during his five-year MLB career. His last professional appearance came during the 2020-21 Venezuelan Winter League, where he went 0-for-17 at the plate with six strikeouts. Montero, according to Spanish-language reports out of Venezuela, has been hospitalized in his home country following a traffic accident. The now 35-year-old was reportedly riding his motorcycle when a suspected drunk driver hit him. Montero is in critical condition after suffering multiple leg fractures, broken ribs and lung damage. Jesus Montero's Yankees stint lasted 18 games New York originally signed Montero as an international amateur free agent in 2006. The power-hitting prospect, one of the best bats available in the free agent class, was given a $2 million signing bonus. By 2009, Montero was appearing on preseason prospect rankings — landing on Baseball America's Top 100 list in four consecutive seasons. The Yankees called Montero up for his MLB debut when rosters expanded in September 2011. He'd appear in 18 games, hitting .328/.406/.590 with four home runs in 69 PA. Jesus Montero traded to Mariners in January 2012 Montero was traded, along with right-hander Héctor Noesí, to the Mariners the following offseason for right-handers Michael Pineda and Jose Campos. Over parts of four seasons, he batted .247/.285/.383 over 796 PA with 24 home runs. Seattle ultimately sent him down to Triple-A due to his defensive limitations with the hope that he'd learn to play first base. His Seattle tenure was marred by constant rumblings about his physical shape and attitude, including a 2014 incident where he threw an ice cream sandwich at a scout while on a rehab assignment.
The Cleveland Browns are 1-4 on the season and just underwent a big change after they traded veteran quarterback Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals. Now, ahead of their Week 6 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, they are facing some issues with their roster. On Wednesday, the Browns released their injury/participation report for their latest practice. One player (Shelby Harris) did not participate due to rest, while nine had limited participation due to various reasons. Among the players who were limited was Cleveland defensive star Myles Garrett, who is still nursing a nagging ankle injury. It's worth noting that Garrett missed a practice and was limited in two leading up to their Week 5 game against the Minnesota Vikings. With that said, there were concerns about his availability for the contest. The good news is that Garrett was able to play, recording three tackles in the 21-17 Cleveland loss. Sure enough, Garrett's condition will be worth monitoring heading into the showdown with Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers. Garrett's defense remains a big weapon on a Browns team that is still figuring out its offense and quarterback of the future. The one-time Defensive Player of the Year already has 21 combined tackles, eight tackles for loss, eight QB hits and four sacks. Even Rodgers himself admitted that the Steelers are wary of Garrett, whom he described as "one of the few players in the league" that "you game plan for and you watch the film," per 93.7 The Fan. The Browns really need Garrett to be at 100% if they want to beat the Steelers in Week 6. If he continues to be bothered by his ankle injury, it could spell trouble for the team once again. Cleveland plays Pittsburgh on Sunday at Acrisure Stadium.
The New York Rangers started the 2025-26 season poorly, as the opening night at Madison Square Garden ended with a 3-0 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins. This result overshadowed the official debut of Mike Sullivan as coach of the Rangers and the first game of J.T. Miller as captain of the franchise. That said, two empty net goals at the end masked a game that was closer than the score reflects. Justin Brazeau scored near the end of the first period, and then there were two empty netters in the final minutes, from Brazeau and Blake Lizotte. Igor Shesterkin saved 27 of 28, keeping the Rangers alive for a long period. The match was stuck and there were few clear chances, remaining at 1-0 for almost the entire game. Sullivan's team fell into the defensive pace proposed by the Penguins. What went wrong for the Rangers in their loss to the Penguins It was not a total tactical disaster for the Rangers, but there were specific details that can be linked to the result. There was a lack of offensive interiority from the Blueshirts. New York lived on the perimeter, without traffic, without second chances, and without backdoor runs. It became evident that a goaltender in rhythm, like Arturs Silovs, sees everything and shuts you down. Although Zibanejad and Lafreniere generated volume, the team did not produce the type of danger that moves the scoreboard. There were also misalignments in the defensive pair made up of Adam Fox and Vladislav Gavrikov. The idea of Gavrikov operating as a physical stabilizer to free up Fox did not materialize. Whenever the first breakout fails, the team plays uphill, and the offense becomes more predictable. On the power play, there was a lack of timing and triangulation in the slot. And although on the penalty kill, new rotations were shown that worked in stretches, the defensive zone at five-on-five offered second chances that Shesterkin saved until he could no more. Decision-making under pressure is also an area of opportunity for the Rangers. In the final minutes, the pinches without backup showed anxiety more than an organized aggressiveness. Brazeau's goal came as a result of a lost face-off that was managed poorly, without clear guidance and roles. An elite team cannot afford to have that lack of synchronization. The goal resulted from a disorderly collapse toward the puck carrier, which led to a lost coverage and an open man in the slot. Had there been communication, a high F3, a quick switch to the netfront, and active sticks, that same pattern would have died in an outside shot without danger. It was many small details together that led to this defeat.
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!