Cam Thomas' qualifying offer could shape path for remaining restricted free agents

After months of negotiation, Brooklyn Nets guard Cam Thomas has decided to take restricted free agency's unconventional route by accepting the team's one-year, $6 million qualifying offer.

Thomas reportedly turned down both a two-year, $30 million offer and a one-year, $9.4 million deal. Instead, he returns to the Nets on the cheapest option, guaranteeing himself a prime role on a lottery team with a no-trade clause. 

Thomas bets on himself

This deal represents a statement from both sides — Thomas believes he can earn himself a richer multiyear contract next summer; The Nets believe the team is better off without giving him one themselves. 

Thomas is an incredibly skilled scorer. He averaged 24.0 points over 25 games for the lowly Nets last season. But through four seasons, that's the only thing Thomas is a pro at: scoring. 

In the modern NBA, players have to be great at more than one aspect of the game to demand an eight-figure salary. More importantly, they also have to show a clear contribution to winning, something Thomas, along with his fellow restricted free agents, has yet to do.

Setting a precedent for remaining RFAs

Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey, Philadelphia 76ers wing Quentin Grimes and Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga remain as the three RFAs to keep an eye on. After seeing how Thomas' situation concluded, though, it wouldn't be surprising to see them follow suit.

Giddey and Kuminga, like Thomas, have received extension offers from their respective teams. However, neither player has gained much traction in signing a new deal. Both are asking for too much without having proven themselves as winning pieces, making a compromise unlikely at this point in the NBA offseason.

Grimes, meanwhile, would be a much more seamless addition for most teams than Giddey. But he simply hasn't played at a high level for long enough to warrant a $25 million salary. 

NBA offseason winding down

With Thomas' deal, the final dominoes of the NBA offseason are beginning to fall. There's still time for the league's remaining RFAs to hammer out a last-second deal. But it appears increasingly likely that this trio will make the same choice as Thomas did.

Qualifying offers aren't often accepted in the NBA, but that could be changing. With a stricter Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) hampering teams' abilities to spend, though, it will be difficult for fringe-starters to earn long-term contracts.

In the not-so-distant past, it wouldn't have been surprising to watch an entire offseason go by without hearing of a signed qualifying offer. Now, four could be accepted in a single summer.