There was a time when Tim Thomas wanted to fight any Net he could get his hands on. Now he wants to play for the Nets.

The former Knick and currently exiled Chicago Bull is waiting for the Bulls to trade him or buy his contract out so he can resume playing again. Thomas said if the Bulls buy him out, he sees no problem with playing with Jason Collins and the Nets, who play Milwaukee tonight. It was Collins' flagrant foul on Thomas in Game 1 of the 2004 first-round playoff series that sparked trash-talking between Thomas and the Nets. Kenyon Martin, whom Thomas memorably labeled as a "fugazy" tough guy, is now in Denver but Collins remains.

The Nets have talked to Thomas' agent, according to the forward. Thomas, who claimed he is considering the Spurs, played in just three games this season before being excused from the Bulls.

"That's done," Thomas said about Collins at Friday's Nets-Spurs game. "I don't respect what he did still, but it's done. We've got the same agent. He knows how to get in contact with me. If I wanted something done to him, I'm from Jersey, it's nothing but a phone call. I wish I was on (a) team at the time that somebody would have taken somebody else out like that. What can I say?"