Nets Agree to Contract with Ex-Knicks F Lance Thomas Amid Carmelo Anthony Rumors
The Brooklyn Nets signed former New York Knicks forward Lance Thomas on Friday, according to Bleacher Report's Howard Beck.
Terms of the deal were not immediately disclosed.
This is not Thomas' first stint with the Nets organization. He was a member of the Nets' Summer League squad after going undrafted in 2010, but that did not lead to a contract with the franchise for the 2010-11 regular season.
Instead, he signed with the then-New Orleans Hornets and has since established himself as a solid contributor both on and off the court.
Thomas spent the last four-plus seasons with the Knicks, averaging 4.5 points and 2.5 rebounds while logging 17.0 minutes per game in 2018-19, making 46 appearances.
He was waived by New York in June as he was prepared to enter the final season of his four-year, $27.5 million deal. The Knicks, though, were reportedly interested in bringing the veteran back—just not at his initial $7.6 million price tag.
Unfortunately for New York, Brooklyn was the one to get a deal done. And the signing has earned positive reviews:
Brooklyn has no shortage of talent in the backcourt, thanks to the likes of offseason signing Kyrie Irving, Caris LeVert, Joe Harris and Spencer Dinwiddie. Adding Thomas to the mix adds depth to the frontcourt, which will be without Wilson Chandler for 25 games due to a performance-enhancing drug suspension.
The Thomas signing comes amid buzz surrounding former Knicks star Carmelo Anthony. Frank Isola of The Athletic reported in late August that Irving and Kevin Durant were "pushing" for the team to sign Anthony.
Ian Begley of SNY reported earlier this month that "several" Nets players remained "fully in favor" of adding the 10-time All-Star.
Anthony played in just 10 games for the Houston Rockets last season before the two sides went their separate ways in November 2018. He was later traded to the Chicago Bulls, who subsequently waived the former scoring champ.
