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Cam Thomas had a mediocre night Friday at Fi-Serv Arena as his Milwaukee Bucks lost to the New York Knicks, 127-98. The 24-year-old shooting guard shot 2-of-9 overall, 0-of-2 from deep for a total of seven points. After breaking out on arrival in Milwaukee with games of 34 and 21, Thomas has had three single-digit games of seven, seven and six points, shooting 7-of-25 overall and 1-0f-8 from deep.
But prior to the loss, Stefan Bondy, the Post’s Knick beat writer, caught up with Thomas who went ballistic on his former team, the Brooklyn Nets. Brooklyn waived Thomas at the deadline after nearly five years of up-and-down seasons that made him as polarizing figure as any in the Nets history (outside Kyrie Irving of course.)
His problems with the Nets organization, he told Bondy, were “absolutely” about the team not believing in him, their 27th pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. He went even further saying their lack of belief of him is part of a bigger problem at Flatbush and Atlantic.
“That’s just who they are,” Thomas told The Post. “They don’t believe in nobody.”
Thomas did not identify other examples of players who Joe Tsai, Sean Marks didn’t believe in. Nor did he reiterate his previous complaints going back three years with Nets coaches. Indeed, he told Bondy he didn’t want to talk “much” about his former team.
“I never asked. I don’t even care anymore. I’m on a different team. I don’t want to talk about them much. But that’s what it was. They didn’t believe,” Thomas said. “Always thought — I don’t know. They always thought something was better, I guess. I don’t know. Always chasing something.”
Asked what comes to mind about his tenure in Brooklyn, Thomas said, “Nothing.” Thomas was taken with the 27th pick in the 2021 draft the day after Sean Marks & co. traded for a second rounder so they could take both him and Day’Ron Sharpe. The belief at the time was that if the Nets hadn’t taken him, Thomas would’ve have fallen into the second round. In his four-plus years with Brooklyn, Thomas averaged 15.2 points a game, starting 88 out of 239 games. He also scored 40 points 10 times, including a record-breaking three straight in February 2023.
Bondy’s interview was the first time since his waiver that the LSU product has spoke publicly about his departure from the team where he set several scoring records, but was always being asked to improve other aspects of his game, particularly his defense and playmaking. Perhaps more importantly, Thomas has become injury-prone. He missed 73 games in the past season and a half to four separate hamstring issues. Indeed, on arrival in Milwaukee, Bucks coach Doc Rivers said Thomas was on a minutes restrictions because of concerns over his hamstring. Thomas in response said he was healthy.
Both this summer and at the deadline, rhe Nets worked with Thomas and his agents — he switched agents during the period — on finding a new home. but to no avail. The Nets had offered Thomas two options in September — a two-year, $30 million deal with the second year a team option and a one-year, $9.5 million deal. He declined both and instead chose to exercise his qualifying offer, a $6.0 million, one-year contract. A league source told NetsDaily that Thomas didn’t even counter the Nets offers, preferring to take his chances. Thomas reportedly wanted as much as $30 million a year.
The same source said no teams had approached Brooklyn about trading for Thomas before he was waived. Of course, few teams other than Nets had any cap space. Regarding his relationship with Marks, Thomas had little to say. “It was alright. It was nothing to go crazy about. We talked here and there.”
Bondy also notes that Kevin Durant, now with the Houston Rockets, had praised Thomas at the time of his waiver, but there’s been no indication that the Rockets had approached the Nets about Thomas.
Of course, Brooklyn is in a rebuild and in June drafted four teenagers who the team saw as having potential at the two guard positions. They appear more than happy with their progress and see Thomas only in rear-view mirror.