Cam Thomas and Dariq Whitehead remain in free agency limbo as rosters solidify.
The 2026-27 season starts soon, and several free agents have signed training camp deals, but Cam Thomas and Dariq Whitehead are still in purgatory.
Thomas being unsigned is shocking, given the scoring prowess he showed with the Brooklyn Nets. He averaged over 20 points in the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons, and became the youngest player to score 40 points in three straight games.
The 24-year-old scored 44 points against the Washington Wizards, 47 against the Los Angeles Clippers and 41 against the Phoenix Suns in February.
Brooklyn hasn't had a prolific scorer on that level since Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving played together.
Teams typically take a chance on a player of his caliber, but no team doing so suggests they don't view him as a proper fit. Score-first guards are an oversaturated archetype, and teams value two-way versatility.
Thomas averaged 2.4 rebounds and 2.1 assists with little to no defensive impact. That makes it harder for him to carve out a role on a contender that already has enough scorers.
He also bet on himself, which failed. The Nets offered him a two-year, $30 million contract last offseason and he turned it down, opting to sign his qualifying offer and test free agency.
Thomas dealt with hamstring injuries last season, limiting him to 24 games in Brooklyn before the team waived him.
The Milwaukee Bucks claimed him off waivers and signed him to a rest-of-season veteran's minimum deal. Thomas' scoring prowess came to life again, scoring 34 points against the Orlando Magic and 27 points against the New Orleans Pelicans.
The situations looked good after the first few games, then plummeted. Coach Doc Rivers decreased his minutes, and he never reached 20 points again, leading the Bucks to waive him in late March.
Whitehead is a young player who has struggled to find his footing in the NBA.
He dealt with a left shin stress reaction in his rookie season and played two games. The 22-year-old nursed lingering injuries in his sophomore campaign, but showed some promise in 20 games.
Whitehead averaged 5.7 points on 44.6% from three, a small sample size that would've been encouraging if injuries had not plagued his first two years.
Brooklyn waived him in October 2025 and signed a 10-day contract with the Memphis Grizzlies on April 3.
The former Net played six games (two starts) and averaged 16.3 points and 3.9 rebounds to close the season. Memphis did not re-sign him, leaving him in the same purgatory as Thomas.
These two struggling to find a training camp invite is a reminder of how cruel the NBA is, even for talented players who were one right decision away from being part of the team's young core.
