Cam Thomas has a new jersey, a new locker and, if you listened closely Monday, a new sense of purpose.
Four days after the Nets waived him at the trade deadline, Thomas surfaced with the Milwaukee Bucks, introduced as a free agent addition and eager to turn the page on the only NBA home he had known.
“Being somewhere for five years you get comfortable there, you love it there,” Thomas said. “But at the end of the day, it’s still a business and it’s new beginnings and happy for the opportunity, happy that everybody is embracing me. Everybody’s happy that I’m here. Everybody wanted me. I feel great, can’t wait to get on the court and help win.”
Thomas arrives in Milwaukee with a résumé that still reads scorer first, scorer second, scorer always. Across his final three seasons in Brooklyn, the 24-year-old averaged 21.4 points per game, capable of detonating for stretches few guards in the league can match.
This season unfolded differently.
After signing a one-year, $5.9 million qualifying offer in the summer, Thomas missed 20 straight games from Nov. 7 through Dec. 23 with a left hamstring injury. His role changed when he returned. He came off the bench, averaging 15.6 points and 3.1 assists, productive but no longer featured in the same way.
Now he gets a fresh start and, potentially, a terrifying amount of space to operate with.
Thomas lit up when talking about the idea of sharing the floor with Giannis Antetokounmpo, whose gravity, he believes, can unlock new versions of his own game. Having a dominant interior presence who draws extra defenders, Thomas said, could do wonders for a scorer wired to attack gaps. He hopes the relationship works both ways, that he can shoulder some of the burden and make life easier for the former MVP. The thought of playing alongside an all-time great had him buzzing.
The recruitment mattered, too. Thomas said Milwaukee’s front office made it clear this wasn’t a last-minute fling, that the organization had pursued him for years. Conversations with the staff, including head coach Doc Rivers, reinforced the feeling that he was wanted, not merely available. He sees a team he can blend into, contribute to and ultimately win with.
And the clock may start immediately. Asked if he’d be ready to play Monday night against the Orlando Magic, Thomas didn’t hesitate.
“Yeah, if needed,” Thomas said. “I don’t know the plan tonight, I’m still figuring everything out, talking to me. I’m a hooper. I’m ready at all costs, at all times. So that’s not even a problem but still trying to figure everything out, but I’m not sure.”
Milwaukee enters the week 21-29, sitting 12th in the Eastern Conference while Antetokounmpo works back from a right calf strain. The Bucks are searching for offensive firepower. That’s where Thomas comes in.
Back in Brooklyn, the departure landed with a mix of professionalism and genuine affection. Head coach Jordi Fernández kept his focus where he always does, on the players in uniform, but made sure gratitude came first.
“When Cam was here, he wore our jersey, he played hard and competed,” Fernández told reporters on Saturday. “The only thing I can say is thanks for the time he spent with us. He always worked, always tried and was a teammate. Now it’s exciting for him to start somewhere else. We just wish him luck and say thanks for wearing our jersey.”
For Day’Ron Sharpe, it was more personal.
“Sad to see him go,” Sharpe said. “I got drafted with him, the same high school class, so it was good to have somebody around the same age as me around and grow. We’ve grown together since Day 1. You know, I wish him the best, though. And I hope he finds another home, and he makes an impact wherever he goes.”
They won’t have to wait too long for a reunion. The Bucks visit Barclays Center on April 7, and the Nets will see Thomas again three days later at Fiserv Forum.
