Bucks waive guard Cam Thomas to convert Pete Nance’s contract

The Milwaukee Bucks waived guard Cam Thomas Monday night, less than two months after he signed, to convert forward Pete Nance’s two-way contract to a standard NBA contract.

Bucks general manager Jon Horst touted Thomas as a key part of the team’s ability to compete this season and in the future after joining the Bucks when he was waived by the Brooklyn Nets on February 8.

When Thomas scored 34 points off the bench in his second game with the Bucks on February 11, coach Doc Rivers later praised him, saying, “I had Jamal Crawford. I had Lou Williams. … And now I have Cam Thomas.”

However, Thomas has seen his role diminish in recent weeks. He has averaged 9.6 points on 41% shooting with 1.9 assists (22% from 3) and 16 minutes in the 16 games since February 11.

In total, he played in 18 games for Milwaukee and was unable to provide a spark for a team that hoped to make a push for the Eastern Conference play-in tournament, but now sits in 11th place.

“We were short on bodies and, at the end of the day, there were some guys we had to make a decision on,” Rivers said Monday night. “I thought Cam was really good overall, and he might be someone that we return to. Where we are right now, you know, not really in the running like when we signed him, we thought it was the right thing to do for the rest of the guys right now.”

If Thomas were to sign without another team, he would not be eligible for the playoffs as he was waived after March 1.

Nance, meanwhile, has become a recent bright spot for Milwaukee. He has appeared in a career-high 37 games this season and has seen his role increase in recent weeks.

He has averaged 15.3 minutes since the start of February and 5.2 points on 56% shooting (48% from 3) with 2.7 rebounds.