Contrary to recency bias, there were good times between Cam Thomas and the Brooklyn Nets — a lot of them.
“They loved me and I loved their vibe. I felt like everything was in place… I just felt like it was just a match made in heaven. All our personalities connected,” said a smiling 19-year-old Cam Thomas on Draft night.
“He has an elite skill. You watch him play. You watch him find his shot, hit his shot — that’s a very, very high level,” Sean Marks said of Thomas in response.
In case you’ve forgotten,
Sean Marks traded Landry Shamet to get a second late first-rounder so he could have two late picks, one for Day’Ron Sharpe of North Carolina, who he loved, and one for Cam Thomas, whom they were willing to take a chance on.
Five years later, separation was inevitable, driven by what you might call “irreconcilable differences” in style and on another, by the new CBA, which stripped teams of flexibility and offered harsher tax penalties. Those changes made it risky for Brooklyn to lock Thomas into a big long-term deal, so after four years, he took the qualifying offer, a rare for restricted free agents.
According to reliable sources, he turned down two offers: one for two years and $30 million, and another — a one-year, $9.5 million team option. He didn’t make a counter offer. Cam Thomas believed in himself and his ability to overcome hamstring issues that had kept him off in street clothes for 53 games last season. He switched agents twice in two years.
It was all a big gamble but it gave him control of his destiny in 2027.
Nets fans were split, often virulently, on Thomas. A hefty long-term deal made little sense when Brooklyn was the only team with real cap space. The simplest: why bid against yourself? Cam was saying the same thing to himself the whole time too.
This isn’t about who’s right or wrong. It won’t look good if he goes somewhere and contributes to winning basketball (which was the Nets overriding concern with him.) It’s often forgotten that Thomas entered the NBA when the Nets were championship contenders. But ultimately it’s a sad tale, no matter how it shakes out for the Nets or Cam Thomas.
They had the most skilled team in the NBA when Thomas was drafted. He was influenced by multiple future Hall-of-Famers, coached by one already in Springfield. He didn’t need to be anything other than the spark behind those guys.
This isn’t about reliving the past, it’s about understanding how a young player became a product of his environment.
“I was pretty steady because I felt like the team I was going to is a championship-level team.
We’re going to be winning games. We’re going to be playing for something,” Thomas continued.
“For him to continue to learn under three of the greatest scorers the league has right now will be great for him. The other part of it is that he is fearless. He’s not afraid. I think that’s what we’re looking for. Guys with that competitive edge to them and a chip on their shoulder,” Marks added in 2021.
He came into the league with riches. Kevin Durant was basically his mentor during those days and it was easy to understand why. Thomas was quiet, similar to KD, maybe a little awkward too, but his mantra was also similar to the now Houston Rocket: “Hoopers Hoop.”
“I feel like Cam has a bright future,” Durant said about Thomas on Jan. 1. “It just takes somebody to believe in his talent and his skill. Scorers and guys that score the basketball at a high rate they get taken for granted in this league a bit. We’re so used to loving defenders and playmakers and guys that can be connectors, sometimes scorers get taken for granted.”
The former Net isn’t wrong and whoever he signs with will have to appreciate his scoring prowess.
It wasn’t all bad. Sometimes it was undeniable great! Thomas became the youngest player ever in Nets history to score 40 or more points in three consecutive games. He’s up there with Nets greats — he’s recorded 10+ 40-point games in his career, tying him with Kevin Durant for the third-most in Nets NBA history, behind Vince Carter and Kyrie Irving. He brought the Nets back from the largest deficit ever — 28 points — at the Garden no less, hitting a 28-footer. As Steve Nash, who had taken some big shots in his career, remarked post-game, “I wouldn’t have taken that shot.” But Cam Thomas as full of confidence as any 20-year-old can be did.
But things can get messed up in the National Basketball League. The Big Three, mentors all, left in famous huffs. The head coach at the time of his 40/40/40 streak said of that accomplishment he wished they had resulted in wins. Coaches, the front office and teammates begged for better defense, better playmaking, fewer sulks, less “shit ain’t funny” or profanity-filled tweets directed at a writer. There were moments that seemed to put him on the high road. But his hamstring issues — three strains last season, one this year — just exacerbated things.
In the end, the Nets did not believe that he contributed to winning. That was the bottom line. He had his fans inside, among them the owner, it should be noted. And outside, the playgrounds loved him. He was always the most popular player at the Practice in the Park.
And let’s be real: this season was a disaster. Ending it earlier may have been wiser. He suffered a left hamstring injury which cost him yet another 20 games in November and December. If his stock was ‘low’ before, it was lower at the deadline. He remained a liability on defense and it didn’t seem like he was engaged. Hard to blame him or the Nets.
Another perspective is that he didn’t have much of a chance to prove himself. He was already a fish out of water but his availability has been too limited for someone ready for a big contract. Thomas, who sat on the second night of back-to-backs, hasn’t started a game since November 5. He took 12.8 shots per game — the lowest since his second year in the league.
Cam could’ve handled the situation better. His response to Zach Lowe was unnecessary and he does not hold a good poker face. Then came the breaking point…
At just 24, the Nets will find out whether they made a mistake with Cam Thomas soon enough. But as long as Sean Marks has been GM of the Nets, it’s been highlighted how he does the right thing by players and agents. That’s up for debate in this situation, dependent on how Thomas turns out. He is a homegrown player. He did take pride in being part of the Brooklyn Nets, although in his valedictory with Marc Spears, it was all about the future, not the past, the team he’s headed to, not the one he just left….
But now he’s on his way. There are already stories and tweets about who might be interested in him. He seems to believe he’ll be back on the court again soon.
He arrived in Brooklyn believing he was joining something special. For a few years, he did. Now both sides move on, carrying equal parts promise and disappointment. At 24, Thomas’ career is still wide open but this chapter will always feel like unfinished business for both him and the Nets.
