Cam Thomas has made his decision, and it sets up a high-stakes year in Brooklyn.
The 23-year-old guard will sign the $6 million qualifying offer from the Nets, giving him a no-trade clause for this season and setting up unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2026, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Brooklyn’s front office reportedly put a two-year offer worth around $28 million on the table, with a team option for the second year.
That structure was viewed as trade-friendly and not the long-term security Thomas wanted. He was looking for a multi-year contract starting well north of $20 million annually and without any team options.
Instead, he is taking the risk that a strong season will push his market value even higher.
“Thomas has bet on himself,” NBC Sports’ Kurt Helin wrote. “He is betting that another season of putting up numbers — he and Michael Porter Jr. will have an all-you-can-eat shots buffet on a rebuilding Nets team in need of scoring this season — will have teams jumping at him as a free agent next summer, when as many as 10 teams are expected to have significant cap space.”
There is also the perception battle. Executives around the league are split on his long-term value. One told The Athletic’s Fred Katz that he would go “close to $30 million a season,” but the average projection among 16 executives surveyed came in at $16.7 million, with none willing to commit beyond two years.
Thomas has bristled at those evaluations, even calling out The Ringer’s Zach Lowe for labeling him “an empty calorie ball hog.” After averaging 24 points a game last season on 39.4 percent shooting from deep, he is determined to prove he’s more than that.
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