Cam Thomas reveals motivation for signing Milwaukee after Nets’ surprise firing

Cam Thomas has found a new home. After his sudden release from Brooklyn Nets, Thomas agreed to a deal with the Milwaukee Bucks.

Five-year guard pointed out Bucks’ previous interest in him when describing the motivation behind his signing.

“I chose Milwaukee because they wanted me and they’ve told me they’ve been interested for years. So it’s good that this opportunity has come. And I’m just hoping to get to know everybody, get to know everybody and contribute as soon as possible,” he told ESPN Andscape’s Mark Spears.

Thomas has produced a high level of scoring during his tenure with the Nets, averaging 21.4 points on .434/.353/.860 shooting over the last three seasons. However, he showed limited development as a defender and playmaker after stepping into a leading role.

Thomas has averaged 3.1 assists per game over the past three seasons, despite consistently ranking atop the NBA in usage rate. He has posted the Nets’ worst defensive rating (points allowed per 100 possessions with a player on versus off) during each of the last three seasons, according to CleaningTheGlass.

Cam Thomas joins the struggling Bucks after being waived by the Nets

The Nets did not offer Thomas a long-term contract during the offseason. The 24-year-old turned down a two-year, $15 million deal that included a team option and a one-year, $9.5 million offer that would have required him to waive his no-trade clause. Instead, he signed his $6 million qualifying offer, retaining his NTC and allowing him to hit unrestricted free agency this summer.

Brooklyn opened the season 0-7 with Thomas in the starting lineup. However, the team showed dramatic improvement after the 24-year-old injured his calf during the eighth game of the season. The injury marked Thomas’ fourth left hamstring strain in the past year.

Thomas saw his role reduced after returning from a months-long absence. He came off the bench over his last 16 appearances, averaging 12.8 points, 2.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists on 39.8 percent shooting from the field and 30.6 percent from three. I can’t find a suitable trade offer, The Nets waived Thomas shortly after Thursday’s trade deadline.

“It’s probably a management question because my job is to coach the team on the floor,” Jordy Fernandez said of Brooklyn’s decision. “Obviously there’s communication between the board and the coaching staff, and we’re on the same page, but I’m not going to speak for Sean (Marks). When Cam was here, he was a part of us, he wore our jersey, he played hard and he competed. The only thing I can say is thank you for all the time he spent with us… I’ve told you before that I thought he was the type of player I always wanted to work with. Now it’s exciting for him to start somewhere else. We wish him luck and thanks for wearing our jersey.

Thomas will join a Bucks team that has struggled this season due to the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade saga. Milwaukee is 21-29 and sits 2.5 games behind the Charlotte Hornets for the 10th seed in the Eastern Conference. Ryan Rollins and Kevin Porter Jr. lead the team’s backcourt rotation.

Antetokounmpo has been sidelined with a calf strain for the past two weeks, but is expected to return sometime after the All-Star break.