After landing a ton of veterans this offseason, the Miami Heat could take a flyer on free agent Cam Thomas. Could Erik Spoelstra be the key to reviving this young scorer's volatile career?
The Miami Heat are just about wrapped up with their offseason moves. They made one of the biggest moves of the offseason by sending four players and picks for Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis of the Milwaukee Bucks. The team did lose Norman Powell to the Chicago Bulls in free agency but made multiple signings to build out their depth. In just the last week, they signed Klay Thompson and Nick Richards while also bringing in Tim Hardaway Jr. on a one-year deal earlier this offseason. Simone Fontecchio also returns to the rotation on a one-year deal. Now, there is one remaining roster spot available. The Heat could opt to hold that spot open for flexibility purposes for later on this season or they could add someone to fill it now.
One player still sitting in free agency was viewed as one of the best pure scoring guards in the league just two years ago. Cameron Thomas is still an unrestricted free agent here at the end of August.
Thomas was a five-star recruit out of high school and joined the LSU Tigers for his lone collegiate season. With LSU, he was named to the All-SEC First Team and helped lead the team to the second round of the NCAA tournament before entering the 2021 draft. He was selected by the Brooklyn Nets at the end of the first round. His first two seasons in Brooklyn were a bit rocky but in an increased role in 2023, he broke out, averaging north of 20 points for a team that sat near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.
Thomas, 24, was averaging 24 points just a season ago with the Nets but quickly found himself in trade discussions after public disputes with the organization. He was a restricted free agent last offseason and had a lengthy period in free agency before signing the one-year qualifying offer to return to Brooklyn. However, it seems it was a ill-advised decision to bet on himself as he only started eight games and then was waived at the trade deadline after the team couldn't even find a trade partner. He then joined the Milwaukee Bucks for 18 games, putting up unimpressive numbers before hitting free agency once again. Now, he is viewed more as a reclamation project than a legitimate scorer but coach Erik Spoelstra could be the guy to revive Thomas' career as the young guard still has loads of potential.
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