Miami trading Thomas Bryant to Indiana could be a sign of a bigger move to come

The NBA trade season is officially here. With many of the players who signed new contracts this past summer becoming eligible to be traded starting on Dec. 15, this is a date fans circle on their calendars to really start getting the trade gears churning.

Contrary to this sentiment, the Miami Heat sending reserve center Thomas Bryant to the Indiana Pacers will actually be the first time a trade has been made on this date in the last ten years. Nevertheless, the rumor mill will now kick into high gear until the league's trade deadline on Feb. 6. Everyone's favorite NBA subplot (main plot?) has fans getting their Sherlock Holmes on to investigate every cryptic social media post from players and every minor transaction that is announced.

This is perfectly exemplified by initial reactions to this trade. With all due respect to Bryant – whose presence on an NBA roster signals him as one of the best basketball players in the world – most fans are not tripping over themselves to figure out how effective he can be in a pick-and-roll with Tyrese Haliburton or TJ McConnell.

Nope. With the Jimmy Butler trade buzz dominating the headlines recently, the next thought that comes up is how this trade could lead into a bigger move.

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Is Miami opening up a roster spot a sign of things to come?

Butler's $48.8 million salary, combined with the litany of hurdles that need to be cleared in the NBA's Collective Bargaining Agreement, make striking a trade a challenging endeavor. With strict salary matching rules (stricter for some teams than others), it is likely that any Butler trade will involve multiple players coming back to the Heat in return.

NBA teams are limited to carrying a maximum of 15 players on their books (excluding two-way players) during the regular season. Prior to the Bryant trade, the Heat had 14 players, leaving one open roster spot. With Bryant's departure, the Heat now sit at 13 players, falling below the league's minimum roster requirement. This will need to be rectified within about two weeks.

Now, having two open roster spots gives the team more flexibility in a potential deal that brings back multiple players. This gives them one more player they can bring in without issue or one less player they'd need to waive or offload in a larger trade.

Is this move a precursor to a seismic shift in the form of a Butler deal? Something like a Warriors package for Butler could net up to three to five players in return, making things just a bit easier to navigate in these scenarios.

What does the Bryant trade really mean for the Miami Heat?

It's always fun to speculate on the next dramatic, sexy move in the NBA's transaction-heavy focus in the media and fandom. Sometimes, though, things are a lot simpler.

The Pacers have been searching for a backup center for most of the season after losing both of the options they had on the roster in James Wiseman and Isaiah Jackson to Achilles tears. Bryant has had a tough time finding a consistent role in any one place since tearing his ACL in 2021, but he's flashed intriguing ball skills at the center position throughout his career and is being acquired at a modest cost.

For the Heat, this is likely to be the simple case of making room for another one of their diamonds in the rough that they've unearthed in 26-year-old guard Dru Smith. Smith, currently on a two-way contract with the team, has impressed with his tenacious defense and commitment to the subtle, intangible contributions that help win games. He has been trusted to close multiple games in the Heat's recent hot streak and has more than earned this opportunity.

The Heat were right up against the second tax apron with little flexibility to remain under while signing Smith to a standard contract and trying to follow up with anything else in the future. With Bryant's salary off their books, they can sign Smith and still have a bit of breathing room under the second apron. Bryant wasn't getting many minutes anyway and rookie Kel'el Ware can fill in for spot minutes to further his development.

We all love an impending superstar trade, but we can also take a breath, sit down and appreciate what looks like a big moment for a little-known player in Smith. He has bounced back from an ACL injury last year to earn a rotation spot for the streaking Heat.

He has continued to earn more and more playing team, logging 20 or more minutes in four of his last five games. In that span, he has registered 8.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.2 steals in 24.4 minutes per game. His defense on opposing ball handlers has been, quite frankly, a bit mean. With a great combination of quickness and strength, he's a real troublemaker on that end.

Earning praise from Head Coach Erik Spoelstra for his "superpower" of consistency in winning plays, Smith looks like he could be yet another #HeatCulture success story.