The Milwaukee Bucks ended up holding onto Giannis Antetokounmpo at the 2026 NBA trade deadline, despite both the Miami Heat and Minnesota Timberwolves reportedly making aggressive offers to acquire the two-time MVP. However, the Bucks didn't make many trades, outside the acquisition of Ousmane Dieng from the Thunder.

The biggest addition for the Bucks came from free agency, as the team acquired Brooklyn Nets guard Cam Thomas after his release. A talented scorer who has struggled to provide much else in the league, Thomas had just four points in his debut on Monday, but bounced back in a big way on Wednesday night.

Even though Ryan Rollins was sidelined due to injury, the Bucks opted to start AJ Green over the new acquisition Thomas, but that didn't hold him back from making an impact on the game.

In 25 minutes off the bench, Thomas poured in 34 points on 12-of-20 shooting, including 4-of-6 from three-point range, to help lead the Bucks to a 116-108 victory over the Orlando Magic. It was Thomas' highest scoring effort since October 26th against the San Antonio Spurs, where he had 41 points.

After the game, Thomas spoke about the trust and confidence that head coach Doc Rivers instilled in him by trusting him in just his second game.

"Yeah, man, it means a lot. Just him having that confidence in me in my second game to go out there and do what I do, help the team win. That's the main objective: go out there and get wins and see where it goes," Thomas said.

Thomas did most of his work in the third quarter, scoring 15 points and missing just one attempt from the field, and went perfect on his four free throw attempts. While fans may still raise concerns over his defense or other areas of his game, there's no denying he can get buckets at will.

"Happy to have his confidence in the second game to trust me going down the stretch and finish. And you know, I want to keep building that trust and keep it going from there," he added.

The Bucks will now travel to Oklahoma City to face the Thunder on the second night of a back-to-back, in a contest where they will be viewed as underdogs despite the Thunder being without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

If Thomas can continue this scoring into Thursday's game and the Bucks can get enough from the players around him, they could shock some people heading into the All-Star break. Regardless, it seems as though Thomas could be a great addition if utilized correctly.