Cam Thomas was waived by the Brooklyn Nets mainly because they didn’t see him as part of their long‑term core, couldn’t find a trade partner, and chose to open a roster spot and future flexibility instead.

Quick Scoop: What actually happened?

  • The Nets waived Cam Thomas shortly after the 2026 trade deadline, ending his stint in Brooklyn at age 24.
  • He had signed a one‑year qualifying offer (about 6 million dollars), which gave him the ability to block trades, making it harder for Brooklyn to move him before the deadline.
  • After exploring deals and failing to get value back, the Nets decided to release him and let him hit the open market as a free agent.

Why did the Nets waive him?

Several basketball and contract reasons came together:

  1. No long‑term commitment on either side
    • Last summer, Thomas and the Nets couldn’t agree on a multi‑year extension, and he settled for the qualifying offer instead of a long deal.
 * Taking the qualifying offer positioned him for future unrestricted free agency, but it also signaled the team wasn’t ready to invest in him long term.
  1. Qualifying offer + trade complications
    • Because he was on the qualifying offer, he effectively held the power to reject trades, acting as a kind of no‑trade clause.
 * Reports and analysis note that Brooklyn looked for trades around the deadline but couldn’t finalize anything, in part because of this leverage and in part because the market wasn’t strong for him.
  1. On‑court fit and team direction
    • Thomas is known as a high‑usage scoring guard, but he’s often criticized for defense and efficiency; some observers even point out he rates among the league’s weaker defenders.
 * The Nets were one of the league’s poorer teams, had shifted focus to other pieces like Michael Porter Jr. and rookie Egor Demin, and did not appear to view Thomas as central to their rebuild.

 * Lineup data and league chatter have long framed him as a polarizing player: big scoring talent, but questions about how much he helps winning in a team context.
  1. Roster spots and timing
    • Around the deadline, Brooklyn needed roster spots for other incoming players and moves, which made a non‑core player on an expiring deal easier to cut.
 * Once trades didn’t materialize, waiving him became the clean way to create flexibility and move on.

How fans and forums are reacting

  • Some fans on team subreddits and forums think a contender should take a chance on him because of his scoring ability: “I would think we should take him.”
  • Others emphasize his defense and efficiency issues as the real reason he was let go: one comment notes he’s among “the league’s five worst defenders” and “highly inefficient,” using that to explain the release.
  • Nets fans are mixed emotionally: posts swing from “Good luck Cam” and “Was a fun ride” to “Good riddance” and describing it as a “fall from grace.”

“Nobody wanted him.” – a blunt summary from one fan, reflecting the perception that the trade market for Thomas was very cold.

What this means for Cam Thomas now

  • Being waived turns him into a free agent in his mid‑20s, able to sign with any team that believes in his scoring punch.
  • It’s a reset: instead of being stuck in a situation where the team didn’t view him as a foundational piece, he can now look for a role where his scoring is valued and his defensive flaws can be better covered.

In short: Cam Thomas got waived because of a mix of contract leverage, trade market apathy, defensive and efficiency concerns, and a Nets franchise pivoting in a different direction—not because he can’t score, but because Brooklyn didn’t see him as part of their future core.

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