The Nets waived Cam Thomas on Thursday, a move first reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania that formally ends Thomas’ uneven, often turbulent run in Brooklyn.
The decision came one day after Thomas was ruled out for personal reasons ahead of Brooklyn’s road game against the Orlando Magic and didn’t travel with the team. The 24-year-old will now work with his representation to find his next NBA home.
“Super excited ready to actually help and contribute to another team,” Thomas told ESPN and Andscape’s Marc J. Spears. “My next team is getting elite scoring, good playmaking and a good combo guard.”
Thomas leaves Brooklyn as one of the more prolific scorers the franchise has developed in recent years. Originally drafted 27th overall out of LSU in 2021, he delivered nights that few Nets players ever have, recording four 40-point games in multiple seasons and joining a short list that includes Vince Carter and Kyrie Irving. He became one of just eight players in NBA history to produce four or more 40-point performances in multiple seasons before turning 23, and he authored the largest single-season scoring jump in franchise history. Within his first three NBA seasons, only Bernard King averaged more points per game in a Nets uniform.
Scoring was never the issue, as evidenced by his 22.9 points per game average across his third and fourth seasons. The challenge was everything that surrounded it.
Thomas’ tenure unfolded across coaching changes, philosophical shifts and a roster that was constantly being redefined. His role fluctuated from featured starter to bench scorer, sometimes within the same season. The offensive freedom that fueled his best nights often came without the complementary growth teams typically demand from guards in modern rotations.
This season captured that tension clearly. Thomas, who spent much of the summer in restricted free agency before ultimately signing a one-year, $6 million qualifying offer, opened the year as a starter and averaged 21.4 points over his first eight games before another left hamstring injury sidelined him for 20 straight contests from Nov. 7 through Dec. 23. It was the same lingering issue that cost him 57 games last season, when he still managed career-best production in the limited time he played.
When Thomas returned in late December, he moved to a reserve role, averaging 15.6 points in 24.3 minutes per game while shooting 39.9% from the field and 32.5% from 3-point range. At the same time, Brooklyn posted the league’s best defensive rating in December while he was sidelined, reinforcing a direction that emphasized versatility, ball movement and defensive consistency.
The Nets explored longer-term options for Thomas in the offseason, including a two-year deal with a team option and a one-year contract that required waiving his no-trade clause. Thomas, betting on himself, declined both.
Over the past 24 hours, Brooklyn’s acquired Ochai Agbaji in a multi-team deal that sent Chris Paul to Toronto, waived veteran forward Haywood Highsmith, then added Hunter Tyson from the Denver Nuggets and Josh Minott from the Boston Celtics. The moves stocked the roster with team-controlled wings, added future second-round picks and created financial and roster flexibility. Even after those transactions, Brooklyn still needed to remove two more players by the end of the deadline to remain roster compliant.
Thomas no longer fit into the equation. His ability to score at a high level was real and undeniable. His inability to consistently evolve his game beyond that role ultimately made the separation inevitable. And now he gets an opportunity to reframe his career elsewhere.
Perhaps it wasn’t a fair ending for a player who routinely brought Barclays Center to its feet, but it was a necessary one given the direction Brooklyn’s chosen under head coach Jordi Fernández.
