NBA Rumors: Thomas Bryant Receiving 'Significant Interest' from Lakers, Celtics, More

Veteran center Thomas Bryant is on the radar for some marquee teams in free agency.

Per Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes, the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics are among teams that have shown "significant interest" in Bryant.

Haynes added that Bryant is expected to make a final decision Friday.

Bryant has some familiarity with the Lakers. He was acquired by the team in a draft-day trade in 2017 with the Utah Jazz, who selected him No. 42 overall.

Bryant was assigned to the South Bay Lakers in the G League to start his rookie season. The Indiana University alum made his NBA debut on Dec. 23, 2017. He wound up playing 15 games off the bench in Los Angeles.

Bryant was claimed off waivers by the Washington Wizards in July 2018. His career took off in his first season with the club as he averaged 10.5 points and 6.3 rebounds in 72 appearances.

Injuries began to take a toll on Bryant starting with the 2019-20 season, though. He missed 26 games total, including 20 straight due to a hip injury.

A torn ACL limited Bryant to just 10 games during the 2020-21 campaign. The 24-year-old returned from the injury in January after missing the first 41 games this season. He averaged 7.4 points and 4.0 rebounds per game in 27 appearances in 2021-22.

Given how many significant injuries Bryant has had over the past three seasons, his new team should carefully manage his minutes in 2022-23.

If the Lakers want to keep Anthony Davis as their starting center next season, Bryant wouldn't be a bad backup option. They could also sign Bryant to be their starter and potentially sign another low-cost free agent to play behind him.

The Celtics currently have Robert Williams III and Daniel Theis. It might be difficult for Bryant to get extensive playing time because of their depth at the position, but they do offer an opportunity to win, having just reached the NBA Finals before losing to the Golden State Warriors.