Nets guard Cam Thomas, who missed over a month in November and December due to a left hamstring strain, suffered a new strain in the same hamstring during the team’s game on Thursday vs. Milwaukee, the Nets announced Saturday.
According to the club, Thomas will be reevaluated following Brooklyn’s upcoming West Coast road trip. That trip begins next Friday in Denver and runs through Jan. 19 in Oklahoma City. So even if Thomas is ready to return after that trip — which is hardly a lock — he’d miss the Nets’ next nine games.
It’s a discouraging setback for a player looking to build his case for a significant payday as a restricted free agent next summer after not agreeing to terms on a rookie scale extension with the Nets before the 2024-25 season. Thomas has been Brooklyn’s leading scorer when healthy, averaging 24.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 32.3 minutes per game across 19 outings (17 starts), with a shooting line of .448/.375/.876.
In addition to not having their top scorer available, the Nets will also be missing their second-leading scorer for the next few games. According to the club, forward Cameron Johnson is expected to be out for at least the next three contests due to the right ankle sprain he sustained on Thursday against the Bucks.
Brooklyn’s next three games are at home, vs. the Sixers on Saturday, the Pacers on Monday and the Pistons on Wednesday. According to Saturday’s announcement, Johnson will be reevaluated before the team heads out West next week for its six-game trip.
Johnson is the Nets’ top trade candidate, so ensuring he’s fully healthy before this season’s Feb. 6 deadline will be a priority for the team.
In addition to their updates on the two Cams, the Nets stated that Trendon Watford, sidelined with a left hamstring strain, has resumed individual on-court workouts and will be re-evaluated in one week. Watford hasn’t played since Dec. 16.
