The Knicks' dreams of their first trip to the finals this century were crushed when they fell to the Indiana Pacers 125-108 in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Now, one of Indiana's most unlikely heroes from Game 6, Thomas Bryant, allegedly may find himself out of the league. According to a report, Bryant is in advanced talks to join the Greek club Panathinaikos.
🚨BREAKING: Has Panathinaikos found a replacement for Jonas Valanciunas? 🟢
— TeleSport.rs (@TelesportRS) July 27, 2025
According to our exclusive sources, Thomas Bryant is the top candidate to strengthen Panathinaikos at the center position. The two sides are in advanced negotiations, and if everything goes according to… pic.twitter.com/AqCuuk4dIq
According to the Tweet, Bryant and Panathinaikos are in advanced talks for what could be a contract worth $3 million per year. No deal has officially been reported yet. Earlier this offseason, Panathinaikos had been attempting to ink Jonas Valanciunas to a deal, before he ultimately committed to honoring his contract with the Denver Nuggets.
Bryant had one of the games of his life as the Pacers eliminated the Knicks in the Eastern Conference Finals. In the game, Bryant dropped 11 points in just over 13 minutes of playing time. He hit three massive 3-pointers, with two of them coming in the third quarter as the Pacers pulled away.
Prior to that horrid night for Knicks fans, Bryant had never hit more than one 3-pointer in a playoff game in his career.
Bryant's career has been on the decline
While Bryant will haunt the dreams of Knicks' fans all offseason, and possibly longer, his career has been on a downwards trajectory. Last season, which Bryant split between the Pacers and Miami Heat, the veteran center averaged 6.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 0.8 assists. Despite his hot shooting in Game 6, he shot only 32.4 percent from three during the regular season.
He posted an Estimated Plus-Minus (EPM) of -1.4 in 2024-25; it was the fourth straight season he had a negative plus-minus, after posting a positive EPM from 2018-19 through 2020-21.
The Pacers are short on centers
Earlier this offseason, the Pacers lost starting center Myles Turner to the rival Milwaukee Bucks, as he signed a four-year, $107 million deal. Now, Bryant seems poised to leave overseas. With those departures, the Pacers' center rotation next season will likely feature some combination of Jay Huff, Isaiah Jackson, and James Wiseman, who are both returning from injury.
There will be no sympathy given by Knicks fans, however. They will have a sour taste left in their mouths for a long time, which will likely only vanish if the team is to reach the NBA finals.
For now, they will continue to reply Bryant nailing three after three in their mind, while their finals hopes slowly vanished before their eyes.