The Brooklyn Nets made a somewhat-surprising decision on Thursday when they decided to waive guard Cam Thomas after he came back to the team this past offseason on a one-year, $6 million qualifying offer (QO). From the outside looking in, Brooklyn tried to make things work with Thomas, but it looks like they were trying to get something for him before letting him go.
“The Nets looked but did not find a suitable offer. There had been talks with the Cleveland Cavaliers on a deal that would have sent Lonzo Ball to Brooklyn, league sources said,” The Athletic’s Mike Vorkunov wrote of Thomas on Thursday. Part of the issue with Brooklyn seeking to trade Thomas is that he had a no-trade clause as a result of accepting his QO and that means Thomas would have to want to play for that team in any trade scenario.
“But that did not go far and Thomas might not have stayed with the Cavaliers even if it had happened,” Vorkunov continued on Thomas. “Ball was shuttled off to Utah for cap relief. Instead, Thomas now hits free agency to find a new team and his next chance for long-term security.”
HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto reported prior to Thursday’s trade deadline that Thomas was drawing interest from the Cavaliers as well as the Milwaukee Bucks, but there wasn’t an indication of what Brooklyn would be receiving. When it comes to this potential trade between the Nets and Cleveland, it seems like Cleveland wanted to ship off a guard of their own in Ball that hadn’t necessarily worked out for them either up to this point in the season.
Thomas, 24, averaged 15.6 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game while shooting 39.9% from the field and 32.5% from three-point land in 24 appearances for the Nets this season. Ball, 28, is averaging 4.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per contest while shooting 30.1% from the floor and 27.2% from behind the three-point line in 35 games played for the Cavaliers this year.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Report: Nets looked to trade Cam Thomas to Cavaliers for Lonzo Ball
