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Cam Thomas of the Brooklyn Nets has been dealing with a hamstring injury.
The Brooklyn Nets have been without Cam Thomas since November 5 after he suffered a left hamstring injury against the Indiana Pacers. Thomas has made encouraging progress in his recovery, but there’s still no timetable for his return.
Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez told Brian Lewis of The New York Post that Thomas had finally been cleared to play five-on-five last Saturday. It took him seven weeks to get the green light, since the team has been very cautious about his recovery.
“CT is doing great. He had his 5-on-5 (Saturday), looked really good. And he’s going to continue to do that until we feel he’s ready to go,” Fernandez said.
The main reason the Nets are taking their time with Thomas is that this was his fourth hamstring injury since last season. He was limited to just 25 games after three separate leg issues, averaging 24.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists, which were all career highs.
Thomas Still Not Cleared for Full Contact
Despite the good news from coach Jordi Fernandez, Cam Thomas still has some hurdles to jump through before returning to the court. Fernandez shared more details about Thomas’ recovery, with the next step being cleared to play a full-contact game of five-on-five.
“(He was) a big part of the non-contact with the rest of the team. Played a 5-on-5, and it’s just a matter of when. We’re not targeting a specific date, but we want to see how he feels and then go to the next session, see how he feels, and then keep building from there. So obviously, the No. 1 priority is him and his body. And whenever he’s ready to help the team, he will,” Fernandez said.
Thomas entered the season with a chip on his shoulder after not receiving a big contract from the Nets or any other team. He eventually agreed to sign a one-year, $6 million qualifying offer to stay in Brooklyn. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent next summer.
However, Thomas might need to prove that he can stay healthy for long periods before thinking about his next contract.
No Trade Market for Thomas
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania earlier this month, the Brooklyn Nets were interested in taking salary dumps from other teams in exchange for draft capital. The Nets have plenty of cap space to make it happen, but they want favorable assets in return.
The Nets are also reportedly interested in trading Cam Thomas, who turned down a couple of offers from Brooklyn. He wasn’t interested in signing a two-year, $30 million offer with a team option and a one-year, $9.5 million deal that would waive his no-trade clause.
By signing his qualifying offer, Thomas earned himself a no-trade clause. He can control his destiny and turn down potential trades. He could also get some leverage that would put him in a great position to play for a contender.
The bad news for Thomas? The New York Post reported last week that there was no trade market for him. At just 24 years old, he still hasn’t entered his prime. He’s also a very good scoring threat when healthy.
Juan Paolo David Juan Paolo David is a sports journalist covering basketball for Heavy. He has a decade of experience writing about the NBA and WWE. He’s currently based in the Philippines. More about Juan Paolo David
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