Rumor: Most NBA Teams View Nets’ Cam Thomas As Bench Player

Most NBA teams view Brooklyn Nets restricted free agent Cam Thomas as a bench player, according to Grant Afseth of FastbreakJournal.com.

Thomas and the Nets have made zero progress in contract talks.

“He’s a talented scorer, but he’s kind of stuck in the middle right now. He wants star money, but a lot of teams see him more like a microwave scorer off the bench,” a veteran NBA scout told Afseth. “That disparity is what’s keeping him on the market.”

Cam Thomas has three options as a restricted free agent. He can re-sign with the Nets on a new deal, play on his qualifying offer and enter unrestricted free agency next offseason or sign an offer sheet with another team.

If Thomas signs an offer sheet with a rival team, the Nets can either match the offer sheet or let the scoring guard leave and work on a sign-and-trade deal. 

The 23-year-old Thomas appeared in 25 games last season for Brooklyn. He averaged 24.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists while shooting 43.8% from the field, 34.9% from beyond the arc and 88.1% from the free-throw line.

“He can flat-out score, no doubt about that,” an Eastern Conference scout told Afseth. “But teams want more than a bucket-getter at that price point. You’re talking $25–30 million per year — there’s got to be some defensive buy-in, some playmaking, some winning impact. That’s where the hesitation is.”

Thomas was the 27th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft out of LSU. He has career averages of 15.1 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists.

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