Cam Thomas Returns to the Nets with Qualifying Offer
The player Cam Thomas has signed a qualifying offer for one year and six million dollars to continue playing with the Brooklyn Nets, according to sources close to the situation.
The Nets announced on Thursday the re-signing of Thomas without revealing the terms of the deal.
The Brooklyn team failed to reach a long-term agreement with Thomas, so the 23-year-old guard opted for the qualifying offer. This option grants him a full no-trade clause and makes him an unrestricted free agent next summer, when at least ten teams will have cap space.
Thomas is the first restricted free agent in the NBA to make a decision, surpassing other players like Josh Giddey of the Chicago Bulls, Jonathan Kuminga of the Golden State Warriors, and Quentin Grimes of the Philadelphia 76ers. In addition, he is the fifth player selected in the first round to sign a qualifying offer since 2017.
Thomas’ representatives, Ron Shade and Alex Saratsis from Octagon, discussed several contract options with the Nets, but ultimately rejected Brooklyn’s offers, which included a two-year, $30 million contract with a team option for the second season, or a one-year, $9.5 million contract with incentives up to $11 million, waiving the no-trade clause.
Upon entering free agency, the Nets were one of the few teams with significant cap space, which led to a standstill in the restricted free agent market. The Nets have been the only team with real cap space for the past month.
Last season, Thomas averaged 24.0 points, 3.8 assists, and 3.3 rebounds in 31.2 minutes per game, but only participated in 25 games due to hamstring injuries. It was the first time in his career that Thomas missed a considerable amount of time.
Despite showcasing a variety of playmaking and scoring skills, Thomas was double-teamed on 18% of his possessions in the 2024-25 season, according to GeniusIQ, the fourth-highest rate among players with at least 1,000 possessions, trailing only Zion Williamson, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Thomas averaged 22.9 points in 31.4 minutes per game over the last two seasons, after averaging 9.5 points and 17.1 minutes in his first two NBA seasons. He has nine 40-point games in his career, the fourth-most in Nets history, behind Vince Carter, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant.
