What’s Up With The Nets And Thomas?
Ordinarily, the fact that the Nets and Cam Thomas have yet to reach an agreement on an extension of his rookie contract shouldn’t be a source of panic. To the contrary, it would be most beneficial for Brooklyn to announce such a re-signing last in their sequence of offseason moves so as to maximize salary cap space, since teams are allowed to disregard the threshold for players like Thomas who have “Bird rights.”
However, though the new league year doesn’t begin until Sunday, it has been typical practice in the Sean Marks era for the Nets to prematurely leak deals that have been agreed upon for players they wish to keep, like Monday’s reports on center Day’Ron Sharpe and forward Ziaire Williams, who will each sign a new 2-year, $12 million contract, according to ESPN.
That Thomas is still in limbo likely means the two sides have yet to come to terms on the 23-year old’s worth. Thomas, who averaged a career high 24 points per game but was limited to 25 games last season due to injuries, unluckily found himself a free agent—and a restricted one at that—in a summer where only Brooklyn has the cap space to pay his fare. Should some other team get Thomas to sign an offer sheet at a mid-level exception in the neighborhood of $14 million, the Nets wouldn’t hesitate to match it.
According to Jake Fischer from The Stein Line, it is believed Thomas is looking for a $30 million AAV, which has apparently put off other teams. Chicago’s Josh Giddey and Golden State’s Jonathan Kuminga are in the same type of RFA boat, drifting along until they (and their clubs) agree on a suitable place to call home.
Since the Nets are essentially bidding against themselves for Thomas, they have been prudent in playing a bit of a waiting game. The team’s offer has not been reported, but pundits seem to think that a 4-year, $100 million deal would be fair for both parties.
Unfortunately, fairness is in the eye of the beholder. And if just one of the sides is adamant over a perception of being shorted, an impasse can occur. And then what?
If I may make a suggestion to Thomas, one that he obviously is free to dismiss, bet on yourself. Tell the Nets you’ll accept their offer, assuming it’s in the $20-to-$25 million ballpark experts are projecting. But only for a one-plus-one deal (the second year a player option). That’s not chump change to delay your anticipated big payload for one more year.
Cam, you are as confident about your abilities as any player in the league. Your bucket-getting is well-documented, so use the coming season to round out your game on both ends. You will need to counter those many other clubs around the NBA who have qualms about how you’d fit in a winning program.
If you don’t get traded by the February deadline, you’ll have the option to become an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2026, when cap space is slated to open up for more teams beyond Brooklyn. At that point, you can get a truer picture of your value and take the highest bid, which might still be the Nets.
Of course, such a best-laid plan can go awry. Thomas can just text Dennis Schroder about that. On what’s looking like another dreadful roster, Thomas will be blitzed and double-teamed most nights, which can result in less efficient and more mistake-filled metrics. He’ll have to hope he can stay healthy—the 67 games he played as a rookie four years ago were his career high. And teams that might target him in a trade or as a free agent are going to want to make sure he isn’t himself a target on the defensive end as per his reputation.
Still, this isn’t the year for Thomas to play hardball. It’s not his fault—the new CBA with their aprons has forced so many teams to count pennies that they see Thomas as a high-risk luxury they just can’t afford. Per Fischer, there just isn’t a market for his services.
And what’s in this for the Nets? They get another season at a reasonable and tradeable number to evaluate whether Thomas is worthy of sticking around while their bevy of Draft picks (they’ll almost assuredly be in the lottery again in 2026) develops.
At the end of last season, I had Thomas as almost a sure thing that he’ll return. The Nets just don’t let assets they like walk and I couldn’t envision a trade until after Thomas’ number was cemented. I haven’t altered my thinking and would be shocked if cooler heads didn’t prevail in the next few weeks.
$30M is ridiculous for a player who doesn't play D or pass. And don't tell me "that's what the market pays." Another team's mistake shouldn't be repeated.
Sign your tender, if you play well you'll get paid by someone. If not, then obviously the market was correct.
Ideally it’s a descending value three year deal (third year player option).
Maybe $30 mn this year (Nets have to have to spend anyway to make the cap floor) and goes to something like $26 mn on year two and $22 in year three? AAV would be $26 mn.
Allows Cam to bet on himself these next two seasons and the Nets to ride the rookie contract waive in years one and two of the deal.
I am a Cam fan. Not many bucket getters like him. He puts fans in the arena and he really did do better passing out of double teams and distributing in general last year.