For the past month, the Brooklyn Nets have been shopping around in hopes of adding another forward to their roster. A number of former NBA players had been considered, some of whom were brought in for tryouts and five-on-five scrimmages.
According to an official statement from the Nets , they have signed Lance Thomas ahead of their training camp. The exact terms of the contract were not revealed, but Thomas will get a chance to fill the void left by Wilson Chandler’s 25-game suspension. Last season, Thomas featured in 46 games for the New York Knicks, averaging 4.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 0.6 assists in 17.0 minutes per game.
Carmelo Anthony was another forward who was extensively linked with the Nets throughout the offseason, but the team passed on the 10-time NBA All-Star in favor of Thomas. While Anthony did receive the backing of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, the Nets had many question marks about him that made it an unlikely fit , as previously reported by The Inquisitr .
Thomas and Anthony were teammates for three years as members of the Knicks. When the latter was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder, the former penned a letter for The Players’ Tribune in which he referred to Anthony as one of his best friends. Thomas also credited Anthony for his leadership on the court, as well as being a role model to younger players.
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There are still a few teams that could benefit from having Anthony on their roster. The Los Angeles Lakers may need another scorer as the season progresses, and LeBron James would likely bring the best out of Anthony on the offensive end. Despite persisting rumors, the Lakers haven’t officially approached Anthony yet. It’s been a tough year for the 3-time Olympic gold medalist, who has had to defend his reputation among NBA general managers.
Anthony’s hopes of winning an NBA championship become more slim with every passing month. Contenders have been reluctant to sign him, so he may have to wait until the All-Star break when more spots open up. The Nets could have been an ideal situation for Anthony, but the team opted to recruit a low-risk option in Thomas.
Every NBA team could always use more shooting, and the Nets may have found another long-distance threat with Thomas. Although he is coming off an underwhelming campaign with the Knicks, Thomas has been consistent from the three-point field in prior years, shooting 40.3 percent on 1.7 attempts per game during the 2017-18 NBA season.