why was cam thomas waived

Cam Thomas was waived by the Brooklyn Nets mainly because the relationship between him and the organization had deteriorated, his long‑term fit in their plans was doubtful, and the team could not find a trade for him before the deadline, so waiving him also gave him an early jump into unrestricted free agency at age 24.

Why Was Cam Thomas Waived? (Quick Scoop)

The Core Reasons

Several factors came together to push the Nets and Cam Thomas toward a split:

• Soured relationship with the team : Reports describe a “contentious” relationship, highlighted by an incident on January 23 against the Celtics where Thomas was pulled after refusing to take a late-clock shot, choosing to pass instead, which frustrated the coaching staff and front office.

• Contract and trust issues : Last summer, Brooklyn and Thomas could not agree on a long‑term deal; he ended up taking the one‑year qualifying offer, a relatively rare move that signaled a lack of alignment on his value and future role.

• No viable trade at the deadline : The Nets were actively looking to move him and even explored deals around the deadline, but they could not find a return they liked, so once the deadline passed they chose to waive him instead of keeping an unhappy player they did not see as part of their future.

• Shifting team direction : Brooklyn is near the bottom of the league and has other perimeter pieces emerging (like Michael Porter Jr. and rookie Egor Demin), which reduced Thomas’s pathway to being a featured offensive option there.

• On‑court concerns : While he’s a gifted scorer, executives have long had doubts about his defense and impact on winning; the Nets had only one season where the team’s overall performance was better with him on the floor than off.

In short, it wasn’t about talent alone—fit, friction, and future plans combined to push the Nets to move on.

Quick Facts About the Waiver

• Timing : He was waived right after the 2026 trade deadline, in early February 2026.

• Age and contract : Thomas is 24 and was playing on a one‑year qualifying offer of around 6 million dollars (often cited as 5.9–6 million), which also gave him leverage to reject trades.

• Performance this season : He averaged about 15.6 points in 24 games, but missed significant time with a left hamstring strain, and his efficiency slipped to a career‑low effective field‑goal percentage with his scoring dipping from prior seasons.

• Past scoring burst : The year before, he put up around 24 points per game in a 25‑game sample, showing his ceiling as a high‑volume scorer but still not convincing the Nets enough to lock him up long term.

What It Means for Cam Thomas Now

From Thomas’s perspective, the waiver is a kind of reset button:

• Early unrestricted free agency : By waiving him after failing to trade him, the Nets effectively gave him a head start on unrestricted free agency rather than keeping him on an expiring deal they didn’t plan to renew.

• His own reaction : He has already expressed excitement about contributing to a new team and described himself as an “elite scoring” combo guard who can also make plays, clearly betting on a fresh situation to showcase his game.

• Best role going forward : Most coverage frames him as an instant‑offense guard—likely to land first as a bench scorer on a contender, with upside to carve out a starting role if he can raise his defensive level and fit into a stronger team structure.

A useful way to think about it: this is less “the league gave up on him” and more “Brooklyn decided he wasn’t their guy, couldn’t trade him, and opened the door for his next chapter.”

Different Angles Fans Are Taking

You’ll see a few common viewpoints in current discussions and forum talk:

1. “Talent misused” angle
   • Fans argue that the Nets never fully committed to building around his scoring, bouncing him between roles and lineups.
   • They see the waiver more as a Nets front‑office failure than a Cam Thomas failure.

2. “Flawed but valuable” angle
   • Others note that he’s an inefficient, defense‑light, high‑usage guard—exactly the kind of player rebuilding or cap‑tight teams are wary of paying big money to under the current CBA.

 * From this view, the Nets’ cautiousness and eventual decision to move on reflects league‑wide trends, not just personal beef.

3. “Fresh start might be best” angle
   • Some fans think this could actually help him: a clear, defined role on a new team that specifically wants his shot‑making could unlock his best version.
   • His age and scoring track record make him one of the more intriguing “second chance” guards now on the market.

A typical forum sentiment right now looks like:

“The Nets clearly didn’t see him as part of their future, and he didn’t trust them either. This breakup was coming—waiving him just made it official.”

Mini Timeline of the “Cam Thomas Waived” Saga

1. Summer 2025 – Restricted free agency stalemate; Nets don’t offer the deal he wants, Thomas takes the qualifying offer instead of signing long term.

2. Start of 2025–26 season – Plays as a high‑usage scorer but deals with injuries and inconsistent role; efficiency drops.

3. Jan. 23, 2026 vs Celtics – Incident where he refuses to take a late‑clock shot, gets pulled; widely cited as a key flashpoint in an already shaky relationship.

4. Trade deadline week (early Feb. 2026) – Nets shop him around, explore trades, but don’t find a suitable deal.

5. Right after deadline – Nets place him on waivers, ending a long, uneven run in Brooklyn and making him a free agent.

SEO‑Friendly Summary (Why Was Cam Thomas Waived?)

Cam Thomas was waived by the Brooklyn Nets because contract tensions, a souring relationship, and a lack of trade options made it clear he was not in their long‑term plans, and letting him go after the trade deadline allowed him to hit the open market early as a 24‑year‑old scoring guard.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.