The Milwaukee Bucks waived guard Cam Thomas on Monday night, less than two months after signing him, to convert the two-way contract of forward Pete Nance into a standard NBA contract.
Bucks general manager Jon Horst touted Thomas as a key part of the team's ability to contend this season and in the future after he joined the Bucks when he was waived by the Brooklyn Nets on Feb. 8.
When Thomas scored 34 points off the bench in his second game with the Bucks on Feb. 11, coach Doc Rivers raved about him afterward, saying, "I've had Jamal Crawford. I had Lou Williams. ... And now, I have Cam Thomas."
Yet, Thomas saw his role diminish in recent weeks. He has averaged 9.6 points on 41% shooting with 1.9 assists (22% from 3) and 16 minutes in the 16 games since Feb.11.
Overall, he appeared in 18 games for Milwaukee and wasn't able to provide a spark for a team that was hoping to make a push for the Eastern Conference play-in tournament but now sits in 11th place.
"We ran out of bodies, and at the end of the day, there were guys you had to make a decision on," Rivers said Monday night. "I thought Cam was really good overall, and he may be somebody we revisit. Just where we're at right now, you know, not really in the hunt as when we signed him, we thought it was the right thing to do for the rest of the guys right now."
If Thomas was to sign without another team, he would not be eligible for the postseason because he was waived after March 1.
Nance, meanwhile, has emerged as a recent bright spot for Milwaukee. He has appeared in a career-high 37 games this season and has seen an increased role in recent weeks.
He's averaging 15.3 minutes since the start of February and 5.2 points on 56% shooting (48% from 3) with 2.7 rebounds.
