Cam Thomas Still Rocking Nets Gear Amid Contract Uncertainty

It’s been a peculiar free agent process for Thomas, who originally gave fans reason to be optimistic as free agency approached by explaining that he hoped to stay in Brooklyn while appearing as a guest on a local news program in his hometown of Chesapeake, Virginia.

“I definitely, definitely want to be back in Brooklyn. It’s definitely home for me,” Thomas told WTKR. “Being drafted there, you build bonds with a lot of people. So I definitely love it there.”

On June 29, the Nets extended a one-year, $5.99 million contract offer to Thomas, making him a restricted free agent. However, Thomas seemed to be expecting a much heftier payday, with a reported asking price of up to $40 million.

According to Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer, the Nets followed up with a more substantial offer that is still nowhere near his desired contract but puts him in a position to either bet on himself and accept the qualifying offer or take the more lucrative deal up front to play it safe.

"Cam Thomas thinks of himself as one of the most elite playmaker scorers in the NBA, and he wants to be compensated as such. But to my understanding, the Nets have not offered Thomas anything more than a two-year deal with a team option on the second year in the $14 [million] AAV range," Fischer said. "At this point, Cam Thomas seems like the most likely to take the qualifying offer of all the notable restricted free agents on the board.

Based on the organization’s most recent moves in both the NBA Draft and free agency, it might serve the Nets’ best interest to lock Thomas up on a qualifying offer and not commit to him long term, even possibly trading him at the deadline.

If Brooklyn had plans to build their franchise around Thomas, they likely would not have drafted four guards in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft. Barring a miracle, this team is not a legitimate contender heading into next season, which means the year should be viewed as an opportunity to allow their young players to gain experience and acclimate to the league. Having a high-volume scorer like Thomas could hinder their development and take away opportunities from them.