Nets' Cam Thomas explains how Mikal Bridges trade changes his role

The Brooklyn Nets have committed to a full-scale rebuild after they traded Mikal Bridges to the New York Knicks in exchange for three players and as many as five first-round picks. Now that Bridges is with the Knicks, Brooklyn will be looking for its next star, but one of their current players will also get an increased opportunity to show what he can do.

Nets guard Cam Thomas is one of the most popular players within the Nets fanbase and rightfully so given how well he played last season for a Brooklyn team that needed scoring. Thomas, who went from scoring 10.6 points per game in the 2022-23 season to 22.5 points per game this past season, will now have to get used to life without Bridges following the surprising trade.

“I wouldn’t say it changes, but [there will] probably be more of an emphasis on what I’m supposed to do, you know, scoring the ball and playmaking for the guys,” Thomas recently said to Erik Slater of ClutchPoints at the Las Vegas Summer League when asked when will change now that Brooklyn is headed into a rebuild.

Prior to the Nets trading Bridges, the franchise was operating under the belief of adding another star-level player to pair with Bridges and Thomas so that the team could make it back to the playoffs and compete. However, now that Bridges is gone, Thomas will most likely be the leader of the offense, especially if Brooklyn ends up trading some of the veterans that remain on the roster.

“So, I wouldn’t necessarily say it changes what I do, because I’ve been doing the same thing since I’ve been here,” Thomas explained. “I’ll probably just take it to a different level, for sure.” One thing that is for certain is that Thomas will be getting enough opportunities to show what he can do for an organization looking for star power.