NBA Consensus on Cam Thomas Is ‘Empty Calories, Ball Hog'

The Brooklyn Nets are currently playing Summer League, but Cam Thomas’ future remains unresolved. The latest episode of The Zach Lowe Show on The Ringer shed some light on what is happening with the 23-year-old’s next contract.

“The consensus on Cam Thomas — if there is one, and he's got some fans, and he's got some mega-detractors — but the consensus is kind of like empty calories, ball hog,” Lowe said in regards to Thomas’ perception around the league.

This opinion lines up with what ESPN's Tim MacMahon commented earlier in the month. MacMahon called Thomas “pretty polarizing” around the NBA. There’s no question that Thomas can score, but it’s about how else he adds value.

MacMahon said on The Brooklyn Boys podcast: "'Can [Thomas] contribute to winning?' I think is a big question around the league." 

Sportrac projected that the Nets would offer Thomas a three-year, $45 million deal. Effectively, the Nets scorer would then have to "outplay” that contract with an eye towards the future. The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie predicted on the Game Theory Podcast that Thomas’ next contract could be in the ballpark of three years for $50-52 million.

Lowe lauded the Nets guard’s scoring and “legitimate playmaking growth,” although he added that Thomas’ usage “is what you would associate almost with, like, Russell Westbrook [or] James Harden MVP kind of seasons.” 

Thomas averaged 24 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists last season on 43.8/34.9/88.1 shooting splits. However, he only played in 25 games for the Nets due to ongoing hamstring issues. 

“This is a guy that can come off the bench on a good team and just go nuts for five minutes while the best players are resting and hopefully carry our offense,” Lowe said about Thomas’ future. “I’m not sure that I want him starting at any point on a good team. [...] I don’t know if he knows how to be the fourth option.”

The Nets drafted Thomas with the 27th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. He spent one season at LSU before that. Prior to that, Thomas was a five-star recruit in high school, where he graduated from Virginia's renowned Oak Hill Academy.

The Nets made Thomas a restricted free agent after extending their one-year, $5.99 million qualifying offer. The latest update on his negotiations with the Nets stated that both sides were “very far apart” as far as coming to an agreement. Thomas has mentioned that he’d want to be back in Brooklyn.