Earlier this season, Thomas Bryant was one of the unexpected surprises of the Los Angeles Lakers, stepping up in a big way when center Anthony Davis went down due to injury. But when his role diminished upon Davis’ return, Bryant reportedly asked to be traded and the Lakers granted him that by dealing him to the Denver Nuggets.
It turned out to be an amazing move for Bryant as the Nuggets defeated the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals to become the 2023 NBA Champions. While Bryant didn’t play a huge role behind two-time MVP and 2023 NBA Finals MVP Nikola Jokic, he undoubtedly brought a great energy and work ethic to the team as he always does.
And when it was all said and done, Bryant was part of the huge celebration with his Nuggets teammates, reveling in the fact that he is now an NBA Champion, via Tomer Azarly of Clutch Points:
“This is what it’s all about right here. Winning this championship… I’m a champ! What up champ! What’s good champ!”
Thomas Bryant is living it up at the Nuggets locker room party ??
(via @TomerAzarly) pic.twitter.com/iiJUJIP4wh
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) June 13, 2023
It is the dream of every player who steps foot on an NBA floor to be able to win the NBA Championship and hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy. For someone like Bryant, who has dealt with injuries and being traded, this is a well-deserved moment.
Bryant is a player who always gives maximum effort any time he is on the court and just has such a positive energy about him that you just want to see him succeed and he has done that. His work with the Lakers earlier this year was crucial as the team stayed afloat while dealing with injuries.
Starting 15 of 16 games in the month of January, Bryant averaged 14.4 points and 8.3 rebounds while shooting 62.4% from the field and 40% from 3-point range. And after putting in all of the work he has, Bryant can call himself an NBA Champion and no one can take that from him.
Lakers exploring sign-and-trade options on D’Angelo Russell
Who else may move on from the Lakers this offseason is unclear and one of the biggest questions surrounds point guard D’Angelo Russell. An unrestricted free agent, Russell could sign elsewhere this summer or return to the Lakers, but the team is also exploring other options as well.
The latest rumors suggest the Lakers are looking into sign-and-trade options on the point guard as ideally they would prefer to get something in return as opposed to losing the asset for nothing. Exactly what Russell’s market is around the league is unknown, however.
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