Will the Brooklyn Nets re-sign Cam Thomas? + Analyzing Day’Ron Sharpe and Ziaire Williams’ new deals

Will the Brooklyn Nets re-sign Cam Thomas? + Analyzing Day’Ron Sharpe and Ziaire Williams’ new deals

Coming up, the Nets retain two key players in free agency while another’s future remains uncertain. I’ll dive into that after this. [Music] You are Locked on Nets, your daily Brooklyn Nets podcast, part of the Locked On podcast network. Your team every day. Welcome in to the Locked On Nets podcast right here on the Lockdown Podcast Network. It’s your team, the Brooklyn Nets, every single day. I’m Eric Slater, Brooklyn Nets beat reporter for clutchoints.com. Thank you for making me your first listen of the day. This show is 100% free on all those great platforms. Today’s episode is brought to you by Game Time. Download the Game Time app, create an account, and use code lockdown NBA for $20 off your first purchase. And on today’s show, it’s a free agency episode. I’m going to be breaking down the Nets resigning Dron Sharp and Zire Williams and what Cam Thomas’s lack of a deal up to this point could signify. But starting on Don and Zire, the Nets got contracts done with those guys on the opening day of free agency. Contracts where if I was a Nets fan, I’d be really happy about what they were able to agree to. And that was a 2-year $12 million deal with a team option in the se second year identical contracts for Dron and Zire. And we saw on Sunday, the day before the start of free agency, the Nets had decisions to make on Cam Thomas, Dron, and Zire about whether or not to tender them qualifying offers, uh, which would make them restricted free agents as opposed to unrestricted. They tendered Cam Thomas a qualifying offer, making him a restricted free agent, but they did not with Dron and Zire, making them unrestricted, but then swiftly resigned them to deal, resigned them to deals. And they also, you know, further maximize their cap space because of that. Because when you tender guys qualifying offers, you know, potential free agents and make them restricted. They have cap holds on which is, you know, a number that acts as a placeholder on a team’s cap cap sheet for free agents and that interferes with your cap space. So whatever value that is, it takes away from your cap space. And in Don’s case, it was 12 million. Zire’s case, it was $18 million and they rescended those. So freeing up that amount, which is about 30 million. and then signed them to contracts which equaled salaries of $12 million next year. So, they opened up $18 million in additional cap space by doing that. But both of these contracts, I think, are really good deals that I think Nets fans should be happy with. And you know, we knew that the Nets were in an advantageous position to retain free agents being the only team in the NBA with cap space, but that was really the most advantageous for them in the case of Cam Thomas because teams who don’t have cap space can still offer can still sign free agents using exceptions. So, a large chunk of the league still has access to the uh $14 million non-t taxpayer mid-level exceptions. They have that 14 million to use on one or multiple free agents. And because Cam Thomas’s contractor’s annual salary on his next deal was expected to come in over 14 million, the Nets were the only team who would be able to pay him that. But in Dron and Zire’s case, guys who are probably going to sign below that $14 million amount, the Nets could face more competition for their services. And despite that, were able to lock in Dron’s case specifically, lock him down on a deal that was quite frankly came in below what I thought his market value was going to be. I thought that Dron’s contract was going to come in somewhere, you know, in probably the 8 to12 million range, you know, this the length of the contract, maybe two to three years. And the Nets were able to get him two years 12 million. And with what Dron showed last year, I think that’s a real bargain and a real team friendly deal. And the fact that they were able to get him on that number with a team option in the second year, I’m somewhat surprised by that based on, you know, what Dron did last season. And you know, if we look at Dron’s numbers, he was at 8 points, 6.6 rebounds, two assists, um 52% shooting, so a little lower field goal percentage. The other numbers all really good and only 18 minutes per game. And you look at some of what he was able to do. You know, we know that rebounding has been his calling card since he entered the NBA. It is his elite skill and it remained his elite skill. Last season, Dron posted about an 18% offensive rebound percentage. That was the second highest among all NBA players to play at least 600 minutes. Only Steven Adams was higher. So, he’s an elite offensive rebounder in a game where, you know, we’re seeing with the pace of how the game is played, winning the possession battle. We saw that in these playoffs is more important than ever. And offensive rebounding is a skill that I think is going, it always has been valued, but I think it’s just becoming increasingly valuable in the NBA. So, Don was able to do that offensively. I think he displayed some interesting, you know, short roll playmaking, some big man, you know, half court hub capabilities in Jody Fernandez’s offense. And then defense was really always a concern for Don. You know, he was a bigger guy, a little bit more lumbering. He wasn’t a guy who could switch on the perimeter like Nick Claxton, but if you tried to play him in the drop coverage, he really had trouble there. Was kind of caught in between the ball handler and that roll man and didn’t have the range or mobility to play that effectively. And that really changed this season. You know, DRon played the Nets played a really aggressive pick and roll coverage. They were hedging a lot. They were switching sometimes. I think Dron held up well on some of those switches, but really the hedge and recover scheme or playing some drop coverage. He was effective in all those opponents scored 6.7 fewer points per 100 possessions during Sharp’s minutes this past season. And that was the sixth best defensive rating swing among all centers to play over 600 minutes. So, Don was really effective there. and that offensive rebounding, some of the playmaking, um the defense, all of that really translated to teamwide success because DRON posted a plus 13.3 net rating, which means the Nets won his minutes by 13.3 points per 100 possessions. That was the eighth best mark among all NBA players to play over 600 minutes. So, really elite, you know, advanced numbers from Dron there. And I think he’s a guy who cracked a rotation during his third season and then was really a full-time member this past season. I think showed some really encouraging things in regard to where his trajectory could be going. So based on all that, a two-year $12 million deal with a team option in the second year. I think that that’s a really good bargain deal for the Nets. I mean, you you look at some of the other deals in free agency, like we just saw Yaka Ple get a four-year $104 million extension from the Toronto Raptors. And I think that PL is, you know, I think he’s definitely a better player than Dron Sharp at this point, but is he, you know, $20 million a year annually better than Dron Sharp? I would say no. So, in that regard, I think it’s a good deal for Dron. And if you’re looking at where he’s going, you know, with how the Nets can him could potentially be looking at his representation and the Nets front office. This is somewhat a similar trajectory to Nick Claxton. Nick Claxton, you know, played out his rookie contract. there’s a little bit different because Nick was the first pick of the second round whereas Dron was a first round pick. So that kind of changes how the contracts go. But Nick finished his rookie contract. He signed a two-year $17 million contract I think it was. He balled out during those two years. Was in the defensive player of the year running that year with KD and Kyrie. Was still really good the next year after that. And then obviously signed the four-year 97 million contract uh last summer. So, Dron has that two-year bridge deal after his rookie deal, and then we’ll see what he can get done. You know, if he continues to produce, he is going to be in a position potentially where he could sign uh with the Nets on a very more lucrative long-term deal. And touching quickly on Zire Williams, I think a player that was really exciting for the Nets this past season in the regard that they got him basically for free. They got him in a salary dump from the Grizzlies last summer. they actually got a second round pick alongside him, so got compensated for taking him on. Wasn’t really able to carve out a role with Memphis there. You know, they were trying to contend um with John Mor and Triple J and some of those guys. And Zire was the 10th pick in that 2021 draft. And didn’t develop, I think, as they hoped offensively. And with that, the opportunities kind of waned and they were really in a situation where it was less about, you know, a rebuilding team developing guys and it was more about we need guys who are going to produce right now. And that really wasn’t a position that Zire, you know, thrived in. He was struggling somewhat, especially offensively with some of the decision-m, the three-point shooting, all that. But then he comes to the Nets and he had his best season by far. You know, averaged like 10 points, six rebounds, shot close to 35% from three on four or five attempts per game. So that’s careerhigh volume. I think did a lot of things as a point of attack defender that the Nets really liked. So, you know, just as a guy who shot the ball well with some change in the shot form, tweaks in the mechanics, was really a spark plug defensively as a guy who was defending 94 ft point of attack, switchable, has some of those things that the Nets want to do, Jordy Fernandez wants to do. So, he’s an encouraging guy. They get him back, I think, a $6 million $12 million contract over two years. Obviously, team option in the second year. So, effectively a one-year prove it a deal. Like, I would expect that team option definitely to get picked up for Dron Sharp. For Zire Williams, that’s more of a question, but a one-year $6 million deal potential to have another six $6 million salary the following season for a guy like Zire Williams getting to that second contract and having a deal above the minimum. I think that’s a good outcome for him and for the Nets, you know, they have the money. They’re no worse off for wear and they can really see what they have in him and have him happy and bought into what they’re doing. So, Dron Sharp and Zire Williams, I think encouraging to get them done on the to get them locked in on those deals. And um you know in Sharp’s case I think somewhat surprising but Cam Thomas up to this point I’m recording this on what is it Wednesday night so we’re you know two and a half days three days into free agency. Cam Thomas has not yet signed a deal. I’ll talk about why that might be and what it could signify after a break. But before that want to tell you about our friends over at Ollipop. Ollipop is a new kind of soda made for people who love the classic taste of soda, but want something that supports their health. With just two to five grams of sugar and nine grams of prebiotic fiber in every can, Alip is reimagining soda in a way that’s better for your gut. 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Coming back from the break on today’s Locked on Nets episode of free agency edition. Just talked about Dron Sharp and Zer Williams and the deals they got done. But the Net’s most significant free agent, Cam Thomas, has yet to get a deal done. We’re about two almost three days into free agency and we haven’t really heard much on Cam’s contract. I said at the top of the show, the Nets did extend Cam his $6 million qualifying offer making him a restricted free agent. Whereas with uh Dron and Zire, they rescended that making them unrestricted but signed them right away. So they had it seemed like negotiated, ready, done with Dron Sharp and Zire Williams. So those breaking even before the start of free agency in Cam Thomas’ case, he’s a restricted free agent and there’s been no news of a deal yet. There’s really hasn’t been, you know, a peep about what’s going on with the Nets and Cam Thomas. Nets obviously keep things really close to the vest in terms of the draft trades, free agency, all of it. So, you know, it’s interesting that Cam hasn’t gotten the deal done yet. And I think there’s a number of reasons for that. The first being, you know, if I think they had obviously like if they were on the same page and they had things negotiated, you would think that this deal would have been announced. So, if they aren’t on the same page, Cam could be testing the waters of free agency, seeing what he could get. You know, Nets could be in a position where they couldn’t agree on something and they said, Cam, you know, go see what you can get. Come back to us. Maybe we’ll have an offer sheet we have to match because as a restricted free agent, the Nets have the right to match any offer she made to camp. So maybe they said, “Hey, go out, see what you can get, come back, we’ll match it, or maybe we’ll exceed it.” But, you know, that would be kind of an interesting situation for them to be in because as I said at the top, there’s really nobody who can pay Cam Thomas. I mean, there are some teams who still have access to the non-t taxpayer mid-level exception, which is $14 million, but I think we all expected Cam’s annual salary to come in above that. I’ve written in numer numerous articles that I talked to, you know, just people around the league um who were somewhat speculating, but based on market value and what they expected, they’ve seen with other people, they said they expected Cam’s annual salary on his next deal to come in somewhere between 20 and 25 million. you know, it would probably be a shorter term deal, but between that 20 and 25 and with the non- taxpayer mid-level exception being $14 million, the Nets are the only team who can pay him above that. So, if he’s going out and testing the waters of free agency, the most he can get is, you know, $14 million a year. And to be honest, I’m not sure how many teams are dying to spend that mid-level exception on Cam Thomas. A lot of those teams who are going to be using that mid-level exceptions are teams who, you know, are trying to contend right now. they’re trying to add to their roster around the margins. Already have some star guys in place and I’m not sure if Cam Thomas is the guy that they’d be willing to spend that on. Even if they did, the Nets would be able to match it or exceed it. So, the Cam testing the free agency waters, it’s definitely a possibility. That could be what’s going on right now. But the Nets are the only team who could pay him what his perceived, you know, market value would be in a normal year. This is abnormal because the Nets are the only team with cap space. But another, you know, potential reason that this deal maybe didn’t get done yet is the Nets still have $17 million left in cap space. They um obviously took Terrence Mann in as a salary dump on, you know, last Tuesday, Tuesday before the draft. So that aid into a little bit of their cap space and then on Monday they traded for Michael Porter Jr. which further aid into their cap space. So, they have $17 million left and they could be looking at ways that they could use that remaining cap space, whether in salary dumps or other free agents because the Nets have Cam Thomas’ bird right so they can exceed the cap to resign him. They can go over the cap. So they could theoretically spend that $17 million in cap space and then exceeded the cap to resign Cam Thomas on top of that, which would obviously mean um you know some luxury tax, more payments for uh Joe Sai. But they could also just sign Cam into that $17 million of cap space without going over it. So it could be a situation where the Nets are seeking opportunities to, you know, utilize the remaining cap space, whether it be in more salary dumps. Maybe there’s some veteran or younger value guys they think they can bring in free agency and if they can get outcomes that they want and things that are enticing to them using that cap space, they’ll use it and then exceed the cap afterward to resign Cam Thomas. But if they can’t, maybe they just sign Cam Thomas into that cap space because there’s not any salary dumps or free agents or anything along that those lines that are worth their while. So that’s a couple different ways that you could look at this. The Nets and Cam Thomas not having this deal done. I do think that, you know, that’s they’ve been busy like they’ve had a lot of orders of business. They’ve had the draft obviously. Then we got towards free agency. They signed, you know, I said Dron and Zire and they traded for Michael Porter Jr. But you’d think that Cam would be a top priority. So him not having a deal up to this point. It doesn’t mean that, you know, there could be a deal in place and the Nets could just be you like looking at that cap space and looking at how they’re gonna, you know, fill up their books and all that, but there also could be, you know, something where maybe Cam and the Nets aren’t, you know, necessarily close on what they think, which wouldn’t be all that surprising given the fact that, you know, Cam obviously has, you know, some ideas about who he is as a player. He’s an extremely talented guy. I talked to him, you know, at the end of the season after he was ruled out for the year with that third hamstring strain. And he told me, you know, he said he wanted to be back with the Nets and he also said that when he’s played, he feels like he’s been one of the best guards in the league. And I said leading up to free agency that it’s going to be interesting to see how this plays out. So, I assume because I assumed if Cam thinks that he was one of the best guards in the league when he’s been given opportunities that he’s going to be wanted, he’s going to want to be paid, you know, not like a superstar best guard in the league necessarily type player, but like some of the other guys we’ve seen like we’ve seen guards who have been compared to Cam like um Jaylen Green sign, you know, $und00 million contract over three years. I would think Cam would probably look at that and say, I should be if he’s getting paid that, I should be getting paid that. But this is a year where the Nets are the only team with cap space. So they don’t have to pay that him that there’s no competition. Does that mean that they couldn’t? No. But they don’t have to. There’s not that urgency. So the Nets not having a deal up to this point. It could be a possibility of where, you know, Cam Thomas thinks he’s worth something. The Nets don’t have to pay him that. Maybe they don’t think he’s worth quite that much and they’re trying to you negotiate and work something out. But the Net Cam doesn’t really have any leverage because there’s no other teams who who can offer him above that $14 million non-t taxpayer mid-level. exception. So, I do expect Cam to be back on a deal. What do I think the terms of that deal could potentially look like? I’ll touch on that after a quick break. But before that, want to tell you about our friends over at Game Time. There’s nothing like the NBA playoffs. The intensity, the buzzer beaters, the fans losing their minds. It’s the kind of atmosphere you must experience live in this year’s matchups already delivered. If you want to get in next time, game time makes it fast and easy to get seats even for the biggest playoff games. Prices on the app actually drop closer to tip off. 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The first possibility is, which I wouldn’t say is all that likely, but it is a possibility. The Nets, I said, extended Cam the $6 million qualifying offer, which made him a restricted free agent. So Cam could sign that $6 million qualifying offer and it’s just a one-year deal after which he’d be an unrestricted free agent next summer. He could, you know, play out that one year, get the 6 million, go into unrestricted free agency next season where he, you know, could potentially get a bigger deal with a lot more teams in the NBA having cap space. But I would think that the Nets would be able to come to agreement, even if a short-term one, that would pay Cam above that $6 million uh qualifying offer. And with Cam, you know, he was a late first round pick. This being the first, you know, real significant payday of his NBA career and NBA, you know, relative to NBA salaries. I would think that he’d want some security of locking something in above $6 million because if he’s on $6 million, he could get injured. He could have a terrible season. You never know. So, I would think the Nets and him would be able to come to an agreement. And I’ve said since, you know, appro, you know, into the second half of last season and approaching free agency that I thought it would be a short-term deal. And I think that that’s the most likely outcome. Like a long-term deal is still possible. The Nets could lock him in on something where they think that he’d be of, you know, better value down the line. It could, you know, be a descending structure with them rebuilding, but I think it’s more likely that it’s a short-term deal because when you’re looking at how Cam Thomas and the Nets their relationship and how the Nets feel about Cam Thomas, it’s well documented like early on they were rebuilding. I mean, not rebuilding, they were trying to contend alongside Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, he didn’t play. That was somewhat understandable, but then he didn’t play. Even when they traded KD and Kyrie during the second half of that season, uh Jock Vaughn really kept him on the bench despite them needing scoring. So, you thought if they were higher on him, he probably would have been playing during that time. But then he does crack the rotation with um with uh last season he cracks or his third year he cracks the rotation and this past season he emerges as their leading scorer and really is the main go-to guy offensively. But at that point, the Nets didn’t really have a choice. And I outlined after the draft, you know, we look at the types of players that they targeted in the draft and the things that Shawn Mars and Jordy Fernandez have been talking about that in the fallout from the draft and it’s all, you know, high field playmaking guys, pass first. Like Shawn Marks used the term 0.5 second basketball. You don’t hold the ball, you get rid of it. That’s what he said when describing some of the draft picks that they made. And also he talked about positional size, defensive versatility, guys who can guard multiple positions. So 0.5 second basketball, pass first guys, the ball not sticking, sizable, you know, versatile defenders. None of those are really descriptors that fit Cam Thomas. So I think it’s, you know, it’s interesting to think about how Cam Thomas fits into this equation with the Nets and what they’re trying to build. But having said that, I would still expect Cam to be back with the Nets because I don’t think they’re going to let an asset walk out the door for nothing. That would just be bad business. So, what could a contract look like if Cam doesn’t sign that qualifying offer and he wants to get some security? I would expect it to be a short-term deal, either a one-year or a two-year deal. And I would expect it, you know, I said league sources told me, you know, speculating that they thought Cam’s market value would come in somewhere between 20 and 25 million. Looking at some of the deals we’re seeing in free agency with how little cap space, you know, nobody having cap space really besides the Nets, how teams have already started to use up that non-taxpayer mid-level exception with a guy like Dron Sharp only getting two years 12 million. I’d expect it maybe to come in lower now than that $20 million number. It could approach that still, but maybe it’s somewhere just above that mid-level exception. you know, somewhere in that $ 15 to20 million range for I’d probably say two years at this point because if it’s that low of a number and it’s below that $20 million mark and Cam, you know, I said how I think that he values himself and the confidence he has in himself, I would think that he wouldn’t want to lock himself into a long-term deal at that number. He’d want to, you know, enter free agency and, you know, in the near future and try to potentially get more money. So, I would expect it to be a one or a two-year deal somewhere like I think $18 million might be like 16 to$18 million somewhere in that range. So, like a two for 34 I think that could make sense. Like that could be the deal that we see Cam get coming in on. And that might be a lot lower than some people were expecting, but the Nets just don’t have, you know, there’s no competition for the Nets really to bring him back. And also, I think Cam’s archetype, I’ve outlined it on prior shows, is one that a lot of teams around the league are just unsure about. So, you know, if you’re talking about teams that are going to use that mid-level exception, the full mid-level exception, which is $14 million, or teams that are going to look to go after Cam in a sign and trade deal, like I I’m just not sure that there’s that appetite out there. There’s that interest in Cam on the market. And if the Nets are going to bring him back, I think it’ll be a shorter term deal, and I think it might come in just above that mid-level exception. So that could be, you know, like I said, a two for 34 and something along those lines. And we’ll see. You know, I’m recording this on Wednesday night. By the time that this is, you know, posted in the morning, you know, uh, Thursday morning, there could be a deal with Cam Thomas that already broke. But up to this point, there’s no deal. And that leads me to believe that this could come in a little bit lower than some people expected. And I would expect it to be a short-term deal. But I would expect Cam to be back with the Nets next season and for them to retain him and give him a little bit more of an extended runway to audition for them, show them what he can do and see if he can fit into the vision and maybe round out some of those less polished aspects of his game, whether it’s been, you know, the playmaking and the willingness there or some of the defensive shortcomings that we’ve seen. So, extremely talented player in Cam Thomas. I’m excited to see what happens with him, but I would expect him to be back with the Nets and have this coming season as another audition year to see if he will be a part of the Nets long-term plans. But that does it for this free agency episode of Locked on Nets. Thank you to all of you for tuning in and supporting the show. I really appreciate it. If you don’t already, make sure to subscribe to Locked on Nets wherever you get your podcast, whether Apple Podcast or Spotify. Also, hit up my YouTube channel. Subscribe there. Be sure to like, comment, let me know what you think of Dron and Zire’s deal. Let me let me know what you think about Cam not having a deal yet or uh projections for what his deal could look like. Excited to hear from all you guys on that. But I’ll be back tomorrow talking more Brooklyn Nets basketball.

Erik Slater reacts to Day’Ron Sharpe and Ziaire Williams signing new contracts with the Brooklyn Nets before analyzing why Cam Thomas has yet to sign a new deal nearly three days into NBA free agency.

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