Cam Thomas is expected to miss the rest of the regular season, according to the Nets, who announced today that the fourth-year guard has been diagnosed with another left hamstring strain (Twitter link via Evan Barnes of Newsday).
It’s a disappointing end to an injury-plagued season for Thomas, who missed most of December due to a left hamstring strain, returned for two games, then aggravated the injury on January 2 and was sidelined for 24 more contests before making his most recent return in late February.
Thomas was a major offensive threat when he was healthy, leading the Nets in scoring with 24.0 points per game and bumping his assists to a career-high 3.8 per game. However, his production was inconsistent after he began dealing with those hamstring issues.
Through his first 17 outings in October and November, Thomas was scoring efficiently, with a .461 FG% and .389 3PT% — those rates dropped to a .395 FG% and .275 3PT% in his final eight appearances.
It’s a contract year for Thomas, who is in the final year of his rookie deal and will be eligible for restricted free agency this offseason. Back in the fall, he appeared headed for a significant payday, but it’s unclear how his lost second half might affect his negotiations over the summer.
It at least seems safe to assume the 23-year-old will still receive a qualifying offer from the Nets, making him an RFA. Because he’ll fall eight starts shy of meeting the “starter criteria,” that QO will be worth $5.99MM instead of $8.74MM.
As long as that qualifying offer is on the table, Thomas would have the option of accepting it and playing out next season on a one-year deal before becoming an unrestricted free agent in 2026. He’d likely only consider that path if he can’t agree to terms on a multiyear deal with Brooklyn and doesn’t receive an offer sheet he likes from a rival suitor.
Keon Johnson has frequently been the odd man out of the starting lineup since Thomas’ return a couple weeks ago. He figures to regain his starting spot alongside Nic Claxton, Cameron Johnson, D’Angelo Russell, and Ziaire Williams now that Thomas is inactive again.
Tank, tank, tank, tank
Nets, Jazz, Hornets, and Mavs players going down like flies.
Draft related injuries tend to spike around this time
Nets at 22-34 are in top 5 pick territory. They should be tanking for top 3 pick. That gives them best odds for #1 pick.
The Cooper Flagg/Harper/Bailey tank race is truly starting to be generational
What does that mean?
Nobody is tanking for any of these guys.
Well, philly is tanking to keep the pick. But this is a generational tank job if I’ve ever seen one. Never in my 45 years have I seen 10 teams pack it up midway thru the season. This nba product and culture needs overhual.
The Nets took the Celts down to the final buzzer losing by 2 pts. The Nets are playing every game to win.
That’s how a tank should be done: front office makes moves to clear out the roster and promotes some tank-related “injuries” to relatively known quantities, good coach in place who can keep the players motivated but accountable and develop them, players who play hard and play to win regardless of the circumstances—and a coach who mirrors that. Let the chips fall where they may from there.
Teams which treat tanking years as entirely meaningless aside from accumulating assets are doing it wrong. I’ll always believe that. Especially considering there’s only one Cooper Flagg and so many tanking teams who are going to end up relatively disappointed by where they end up (not saying he’s the only notable guy at the top, but you get my general point).
You probably don’t follow the Nets too closely bc many Nets fans are upset that they didn’t tank enough. At this point, there’s no way they finish in the bottom 4.
And while trades made certainly didn’t help this year’s outcome, I don’t think there have been any phantom injuries other than some questionable load decisions on back to backs.
And I’m also not sure at all that Flagg is a generational talent, despite many acting as such. There are many good players in every draft and no one has to be reminded where Giannis and Jokic were picked… not to mention that having the worst record does not guarantee getting the #1 pick.