The NBA trade deadline came and went on Thursday. There was much activity all around the league, with nearly every team executing a trade of some sort. And with no more trades coming, it’s time for teams around the NBA to buy out or waive players on their roster who no longer fit.
The Nets got that action started almost immediately. Minutes after the deadline passed, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported Brooklyn had waived microwave scorer Cam Thomas. Thomas will now enter free agency and has the ability to sign with the team of his choosing—depending on who is interested, of course.
Thomas emerged as a talented scorer over the last few years for the Nets as they’ve continued to rebuild from the Kevin Durant era. Despite being at a size disadvantage on the court, Thomas proved electric at times and capable of getting a shot off against any defender. He averaged north of 20 points per game in Brooklyn in each of the last two seasons, peaking with a 24.0 ppg average in 2024-25.
However, he seemed to fall out of coach Jordi Fernandez’s favor due to his poor defense. Fernandez is a defensive-minded coach who doesn’t offer a very long leash to players who struggle on that end, no matter how talented they may be offensively. Thomas’s injury issues haven’t helped, either. He missed all but 23 games of last year’s campaign, and only appeared in 24 for the Nets this year.
Thomas seems quite pleased to be free from Brooklyn, as he told ESPN’s Marc J. Spears.
“Super excited ready to actually help and contribute to another team,” he said. “My next team is getting elite scoring, good playmaking and a good combo guard.”
It’ll be interesting to see which teams come calling. Thomas is clearly a talented scorer, but gives those points back on the other end and his style is very ball-dominant for a small guard. Still, he has something to offer, whether it’s as a spark plug off the bench or an offensive centerpiece for another rebuilding team looking to find a diamond in the rough.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Cam Thomas Excited to ‘Actually Help’ Another Team After Getting Waived by Nets .
