The Brooklyn Nets have ruled guard Cam Thomas out of Thursday’s matchup against the Orlando Magic due to personal reasons. Thomas’ absence comes ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline at 3 p.m. ET. He was not on the Brooklyn flight that departed Wednesday, league officials said.

cleveland cavaliers and milwaukee bucks showed interest That’s the case with Thomas, according to HoopsHype’s Michael Scott.

A trade for Thomas has been expected since the offseason, when he was unable to agree to a contract extension with the Nets and signed a $6 million qualifying offer. The fifth-year guard reportedly turned down a two-year, $15 million contract with a team option in favor of QO. He has a no-trade clause, meaning he must agree to any deal Brooklyn makes.

However, a change of scenery could be in Thomas’ best interest given his recent reduced role.

Cam Thomas misses game for personal reasons as Bucks and Cavs express interest in trade

Thomas began the year as the starter and Brooklyn’s leading scorer. he Average score: 24.4 points Through the team’s first seven games, he shot .408/.356/.875. However, the Nets had an 0-7 record during that period, with a defensive rating of 128.5, the worst in the NBA.

Thomas injured his hamstring during Brooklyn’s eighth game of the season, but the team has improved dramatically since then. In Thomas’ absence, the Nets went 9-12 and had the NBA’s sixth-best defensive percentage (111.7). They are 4-17 and have the NBA’s second-worst defense (120.9) since the 24-year-old returned from a two-month layoff.

Thomas was moved to the bench and had a significantly reduced role upon his return. Over the past 16 games, he is averaging 12.8 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 3.3 assists while shooting 39.8 percent from the field and 30.6 percent from 3-point range.