Nets reportedly 'open' to trading away 24.6PPG scorer amid recent rumors

Tanking in the Eastern Conference is a hard thing to do. After 15 games, 11 teams in the conference have a losing record. The Brooklyn Nets, Toronto Raptors and Washington Wizards were expected to be the worst three teams in the East, but Brooklyn is off to a 5-9 start, ahead of the Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers, and could make a shocking playoff bid.  

That is the complete opposite of where the Nets wanted to be. With a loaded draft class coming up in 2025, the Nets wanted to join the Raptors and Wizards in the NBA Draft Lottery, and possibly land Cooper Flagg. The Nets have long made it clear that they are having a fire sale, and everyone on the roster has a price, although 23-year-old microwave scorer Cam Thomas wouldn’t go cheap.

Thomas, in his fourth NBA season, is averaging a career-best 24.6 points per game while shooting a solid 39.2% from 3-point range. Last year, he averaged more than 20 points a game but was seen as an inefficient shot-chucker. This season, he seems to have put it all together, which has taken Brooklyn out of the running for a top pick.

Desperate to land a young franchise player this summer, the Nets have now made Thomas available, and suitors are likely to line up for the solid shooting guard. 

“League sources say the rebuilding Nets are expected to be open for business, even with this competitive start (5-9; 20th in net rating) in which first-year coach Jordi Fernandez has made good use of the available talent,” wrote The Athletic’s Sam Amick on Tuesday. “Fourth-year gunner Cam Thomas failed to come to terms on an extension and is widely considered to be available.”

With Thomas, Cameron Johnson, Nic Claxton, Dorian Finney-Smith and Dennis Schröder all expected to be traded away, Brooklyn should be able to cobble together quite a tank job in the second half of the season.

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