The Brooklyn Nets abruptly ended their tenuous partnership with Cam Thomas on Thursday, waiving the young guard. Jordi Fernandez was asked on Saturday what led the organization to move on from its leading scorer from the previous two seasons.
“That’s probably a question for management, because my job is to coach the team on the floor,” the coach replied. “Obviously, there’s communication between management and the coaching staff, and we’re on the same page, but I’m not going to speak for Sean [Marks]. When Cam was here, he was part of us, he wore our jersey, he played hard, and competed. The only thing I can say is thanks for all the time he spent with us… I've already told you guys what type of player I thought that I wanted to see. He always worked and tried and was a teammate here. Now it’s exciting for him to start somewhere else. We just wish him luck and say thanks for wearing our jersey.”
Thomas' flashes of scoring brilliance were undeniable throughout his Nets tenure. However, his glaring limitations as a defender and playmaker restricted his impact.
Despite his scoring capabilities, Brooklyn was better with Thomas off the floor in all but one of his five seasons.
Cam Thomas waived by Nets after five seasons
Thomas' departure had been foreshadowed since the offseason, when the Nets chose not to offer him a long-term contract. Brooklyn offered the 2021 first-round pick a two-year, $30 million contract featuring a team option. They also offered a one-year, $9.5 million deal, which would have required him to waive his no-trade clause.
Thomas declined and bet on himself, signing his $6 million qualifying offer, a decision that now looks like a mistake.
The Nets opened the season 0-7 with Thomas as the focal point of their offense. The 24-year-old injured his left hamstring for the fourth time in the last year during the eighth game of the season. Brooklyn showed dramatic improvement during the guard's absence, and his role was scaled back significantly upon his return.
Thomas came off the bench during his final 13 appearances, averaging 12.8 points, 2.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists on 39.8 percent shooting from the field and 30.6 percent from three. With the Nets unable to find a suitable trade offer before Thursday's deadline, they waived him, opening up minutes for their four rookie guards.
Thomas will now canvass the free agent market for his next destination.
“Super excited ready to actually help and contribute to another team,” he told ESPN Andscape's Marc Spears. “My next team is getting elite scoring, good playmaking and a good combo guard.”
