The Brooklyn Nets didn’t make any big moves at the NBA Trade Deadline. They were a facilitator to some to absorb contracts and gain assets. By using cap space to take on contracts, adding second-round picks, and ultimately waiving Cam Thomas, the Nets are making it clear that this season is only to prepare for the next one. The Nets are prioritizing cap space and turning those absorbable contracts to potential assets for later down the line for the off-season.

The Nets are currently 13th in the Eastern Conference at 15-39, 27 games behind the conference-leading Detroit Pistons, and 10 games behind the 10th-place Charlotte Hornets, the last play-in team; they are currently 26-30. According to ESPN Analytics, the Nets need to go 24-5 the rest of the way to have a 90% chance to make the Play-In Tournament. While this is still possible, this is highly unlikely to happen and given their performance against the Cleveland Cavaliers on February 19, this is an afterthought.

The Nets also cannot make the top six in the standings at all, as they lost too many games. They’re just too far behind. This goes in the context in which this trade deadline has taken place.

The Nets had a rather uncertain position regarding Cam Thomas from the jump this year. He had been benched by Jordi Fernandez since the beginning of the season, despite being a starter for most of last season before injury. He had inconsistent minutes and had been a topic in trade rumors, never made to feel like a core player.

When a 20 point-per-game scorer becomes a bench player, it is not by accident: Coach Fernandez and Nets’ front office saw its young players and rookies and decided it was time for a change with a bit of roster reconstruction.

When the Nets officially waived Cam Thomas, Nets fans knew of the situation and accepted that the once rising star's Nets tenure was over. After that, Milwaukee signed Cam Thomas after clearing waivers and the former Net delivered a 34-point performance for them against the Orlando Magic.

After this, the Nets made a number of small moves. They have used a lot of their $15 million in available cap space, spending around $11 million on a number of players.

• They traded for Ochai Agbaji and a 2032 second-round pick in a three-team deal with Toronto and Los Angeles.

• They traded for Josh Minott from Boston in exchange for cash.

• They traded Hunter Tyson and a 2032 second-round pick from Denver in exchange for a 2026 second-round pick.

Then came the roster decisions for the Nets. Cam Thomas, Tyrese Martin, and Hunter Tyson were waived. All of this was a part of a plan: the Nets are not trying to win a few games. They are keeping their options open.

If the Nets are a .500 team, competing for a ninth or 10th seed, then having a scorer like Cam Thomas is a good idea. However, the Nets are not a .500 team. They are a 13th-place team in the Eastern Conference and have little chance of climbing the ladder. In this situation, the Nets are giving up a little in scoring potential, but they are getting a lot in draft positioning. The moves were set to help the Nets’ younger pieces gain more minutes and to clear out the roster space to manuever. They will then use that to fill in for two-way deals and try to find a diamond in the rough.

The Nets are not neccessaliry tanking. They are positioning themselves well for the 2026 NBA Draft and free agency. They are more concerned about the playing time of their rookies rather than the wins and losses. There are five rookies who need playing time. There are young players who need a consistent rotation.

Cam Thomas is a scorer and a player who likes the ball in his hands. He scores a lot and loves the spotlight. When he is the focal point, he will shine. He will have the ball in his hands and will be able to show his skills. However, the reason of him being waived shows that he will slow the evaluation of the other rookies.

It also impacts their chances in the lottery. Three or four big 35-point performances in February might be exciting, but they could also hurt lottery chances.

The Nets' front office chose alignment and adapting to Coach Fernandez’s system of sharing the ball and playing defense.

There will be critics. Former NBA All-Star Demarcus Cousins had this to say this on the 7PM In Brooklyn podcast: “Y’all labeled Cam Thomas selfish on a already bad team ... Y’all bad and found a way to label somebody selfish. What did you want him to do.”

Waiving a former first-round pick who had shown a lot of scoring ability but had never shown a lot of trade value is a gamble. If he plays great in Milwuakee and scores 25 a night, people will point to this. But building a basketball team isn't based on individual player performances. It's based on a lot of other things.

Ochai Agbaji has two-way wing skills. Josh Minott has athletic skills to develop. The extra second-round picks give flexibility. While these players might not be exciting right now, they could potentially be very important in a trade in the future.

The Nets also have a free roster spot. They can use 10-day contracts. They can look for undervalued players on the lower rungs of their current roster. They have financial freedom.

For Brooklyn, in this current season remains a lottery team, they should be looking to build and establish their place, not a high-scoring guard whose contract status remains uncertain. Noah Clowney has contract extension talk potentially coming up, Nicolas Claxton has contract extension talks upcoming or free agency market will be calling, Michael Porter Jr. could leave or extend as well and the Nets may have to extend Day’ron Sharpe as well.

The team is testing on the court. The question on everyone’s mind remains: what’s next? The Nets should be making the most out of what they have. This could mean the draft. This could mean giving up a less desirable contract in return for draft picks. This could mean acquiring a star player when the time is right. The worst way to go about it, however, is to be in limbo, too good to tank for a worst lottery spot, too far away to contend for a playoff spot.

The Nets have made a choice in waiving Cam Thomas and using cap space to make deals. This season is about making choices. The standings prove it. The numbers prove it. The trade deadline proved it.

The question of Cam Thomas’ future in Brooklyn was not a sudden decision. It was a process of elimination for the front office and coaching staff.