Cam Thomas has found a new home. Following his surprise release from the Brooklyn Nets, Thomas agreed to a deal with the Milwaukee Bucks.
The fifth-year guard pointed to the Bucks' previous interest in him when outlining the motivation behind his signing.
“I picked Milwaukee because they wanted me and they told me they’ve been interested for years now. So, it’s good to have this opportunity come to fruition. And I’m just hoping to meet everybody, get to know everybody and contribute as soon as possible,” he told ESPN Andscape's Marc Spears.
Thomas flashed high-level scoring ability during his Nets tenure, averaging 21.4 points on .434/.353/.860 shooting splits over the last three seasons. However, he showed limited development as a defender and playmaker after stepping into a featured role.
Thomas averaged 3.1 assists per game over the last three seasons, despite consistently ranking toward the top of the NBA in usage rate. He posted the Nets' worst defensive rating swing (points allowed per 100 possessions with a player on the court vs. off) during each of the last three seasons, per CleaningTheGlass.
Cam Thomas joins struggling Bucks after being waived by Nets
The Nets did not offer Thomas a long-term contract during the offseason. The 24-year-old declined a two-year, $15 million deal featuring a team option and a one-year, $9.5 million offer that would have required him to waive his no-trade clause. He instead signed his $6 million qualifying offer, maintaining his NTC and allowing him to hit unrestricted free agency this summer.
Brooklyn opened the season 0-7 with Thomas in the starting lineup. However, the team showed dramatic improvement after the 24-year-old injured his hamstring during the eighth game of the season. The injury marked Thomas' fourth left hamstring strain in the last year.
Thomas saw his role reduced upon his return from a multi-month absence. He came off the bench during his last 16 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. Unable to find a suitable trade offer, the Nets waived Thomas shortly after Thursday's trade deadline.
“That’s probably a question for management, because my job is to coach the team on the floor,” Jordi Fernandez said of Brooklyn's decision. “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 will join a Bucks team that has struggled this season amid Giannis Antetokounmpo's trade saga. Milwaukee is 21-29 and sits 2.5 games behind the Charlotte Hornets for the Eastern Conference's 10th seed. Ryan Rollins and Kevin Porter Jr. headline the team's backcourt rotation.
Antetokounmpo has been sidelined by a calf strain for the last two weeks but is expected to return sometime after the All-Star break.
