NBA INTEL: Where the Brooklyn Nets stand on Cam Thomas’ free agency + Injury and Cap Space updates

NBA INTEL: Where the Brooklyn Nets stand on Cam Thomas’ free agency + Injury and Cap Space updates

Coming up, will the Nets and Cam Thomas agree to a new contract? And where does CT fit into the team’s long-term plans? I’ll answer that after this. You are Locked on Nets, your daily Brooklyn Nets podcast, part of the Locked On Network, your team every day. Welcome in to the Locked On Nets podcast right here on the Locked On 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. And on today’s show, I’ll give an update on Cam Thomas’ restricted free agency, detailing what I view as the most likely resolution and where he fits in the team’s long-term plans. I’ll also have an update on the Net summer league roster and their salary cap situation. But starting off with the Cam Thomas update. We are now over a week into free agency and there really hasn’t been a peep about Cam and the Nets coming closer to agreeing to a new deal. We all know that the Nets extended Cam a qualifying offer the day before the start of free agency, making him a restricted free agency. On the other side, they did not extend qualifying offers to Don Sharp and Zire Williams, but swiftly resigned them in unrestricted free agency to two-year $12 million contract. So, they had those deals, it seems like, with Dron and Zire negotiated beforehand. And with Cam, it really seems like a situation where they and Cam’s camp are letting the, you know, free agent market play out. And thus far, it hasn’t really played out to Cam’s favor. I’ve asked around the league, and everything that I’ve heard is that Cam and the Nets are far apart on a deal. There really hasn’t been any traction from the two sides. You know, they haven’t been close to coming to an agreement on what they feel like Cam’s value is at. And that’s not all that surprising based on just the restricted free agent landscape. there really isn’t a restricted free agent market. When you look at these guys like Jonathan Kaminga, um Quinton Grimes, Josh Giddy, you know, none of these players have come to an agreements and it really seems like they’re holding out and it’s in a situation where the teams hold all the leverage because nobody in the NBA has cap space except for the Nets. They’re the only teams. So, we all knew that the Nets were going into this and going to have a lot of leverage in these negotiations with Cam Thomas because they control the cap landscape because no other teams have cap space. The most that teams can offer Cam is the 14 million non-t taxpayer mid-level exception. And a lot of the league has already used that up. And the teams that are remaining, I don’t really see any of them offering um CAM the full taxpayer non-t taxpayer mid-level exception, as I said, which is $14 million. So, there doesn’t really seem to be a market for Cam outside of the Nets. Like, nobody in the league has cap space. I think the only team that is going to be able to create cap space right now is the Jazz. I know they’re not interested in Cam Thomas. Is anybody, you know, swinging aside and trade for Cam Thomas? It doesn’t seem like it. So, the Nets are really, you know, his only team that is going to be able to give him a significant deal. And up to this point, it doesn’t seem like the two sides are close, you know, in agreement to where he’s worth. And you know, from things I’ve heard, Cam’s camp was going into free agency with comparisons to contracts like Jaylen Green, uh, Jordan Pool, Emanuel Quickleys. Those are all long-term deals. You know, four, five years in the 32 to $35 million range annually. And that’s just not happening for Cam. Like there’s there’s nowhere that’s nowhere near close to what Cam is going to get. And it’s understandable why, you know, Cam would go into free agency. and his camp would go into free agency. Thinking that and using that as a negotiating tool, you know, he’s produced like those guys, at least from a scoring perspective. So, if they say, “Hey, we’re, you know, in the fourth year of the contract. We didn’t really get a chance in the first two years. We came in. We produced at the level of these guys. Those guys are getting paid that we think we’re as good, if not better, than those guys. We should be getting paid like that.” And I understand that. And also, you know, I I asked Cam if he feels like at the end of the season, I asked him if he feels like he’s done enough to secure a long-term role with the Nets, and he said, of course, and that he feels like the last two seasons when giving minutes, given minutes, that he’s been one of the best guards in the league. So, all of that would lead you to believe that he feels like he should be paid at least like those guys like Jordan P, Jaylen Green, and Emanuel Quickley. But, we’re in a new CBA now. the cap space landscape this year is completely different as I outlined before. And another thing I’d say from the Nets perspective is if Cam’s coming in and you know with comparisons to Jaylen Green, Jordan Pool and Emanuel Quickley from the Nets and saying look those are all bad contracts. Like those aren’t contracts that I would want in my books right now. I’m not dying to give out another contract like that. Um so you know from Cam’s perspective there isn’t just a lot of leverage. And when you look at the player archetype of what Cam has been up to this point in his career, which is, you know, a really dynamic scorer, but a guy who, you know, isn’t is far from, you know, a pass first guy or a high level playmaker and a guy who frankly up to this point has just been a bad defender. The NBA is trending a little bit away from that. There’s not really a market for some of those guys. If you look at some of the things that have happened happened this summer, just like look at Colin Ston for example, a guy who’s a little bit older than Cam, but has put up, you know, put up big numbers in his third year, averaged 24 points per game with Cleveland. I think that’s around what Camveraged this season. He just got traded uh for Yousef Nerk in a second round pick. The Hornets actually had to throw in a second round pick in that deal to get Colin Ston for Yousef Nerkage, which means that Nerkich in that deal was being valued more highly than Colin Ston. I think that says a lot about how, you know, Stexton’s was valued as an asset on a contract that is what, like $20 million annually. So lower than what Cam Thomas, well below what Cam Thomas was seeking. Look at other guys, you know, more veteran guys like Jordan Clarkson. He’s a guy who’s put up numbers for a tanking Jazz team, you know, from a scoring perspective. He just signed for a minimum deal. Obviously, he’s much older around 33 years old. Even look at Norm Pal. The Heat literally just got Norm Pal for nothing. and he’s coming off a season where he had a career best year last year. Played really good, but you know, a smaller guy who’s a scoring type guy. I think a better offball or Cam’s been a good offball shooter, but Cam, you know, Norm Pal’s played a little bit more off ball throughout his career. You know, there are some defensive concerns obviously there. And the Heat just got him for Kevin Love and Kyle Anderson and a second round pick. So, literally pretty much got him for free. And I think, you know, some of that has to do with the extension that Norm Pow wants at his age. But just my point being first, I don’t think there’s team I don’t think a team like the Nets is eager to give out a contract like the Jaylen Green contract or Jordan Pool or Emanuel Quickley or some of those deals that Cam Thomas’s camp might have been looking at. And then if you look at some of these other guards who are, you know, on the trade of free agent market right now, smaller guards who, you know, aren’t defensive guys, are more like score first ball handlers, but aren’t at like a star level. There’s just not a market for a ton of those guys right now. So, how is this going to resolve with Cam Thomas? I think there’s a logical, you know, end point to where these negotiations should go, and I’ll tell you what that is after a quick break. But first, want to tell you about our friends over at Monarch Money. Ever wish managing money felt easier? With Monarch Money, it can. Whether you’re growing your savings or planning a big purchase, Monarch puts you in the driver’s seat. 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Coming back from the break on today’s Lockdown Nets episode, talking about Cam Thomas’s restricted free agency, what I view as the most likely end point and where he might fit into the team’s long-term plans. I outlined on the prior segment why up to this point, the Nets and Cam have not been close to an agreement on a new contract. I outlined why the restrictive free agent market has really been non-existent and by extension Cam Thomas’ market has been non-existent. So, you know, I said the most that teams can offer him right now is the non-t taxpayer mid-level exception. And the deeper we get into free agency, the number of teams that have full access to that non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which is 14 million, is shrinking. So, I’m not even sure there’s a team that’s going to offer Cam the full non-t taxpayer mid-level exception, which is 14 million per year. If I had to say right now, I’d probably say that team does not exist. So, from that perspective, the Nets really don’t have to offer him much more than that $14 million number if they want to keep him. But, you know, if you lowball Cam and you kind of squeeze him there, you run the risk obviously of, you know, pissing him off. He might not like that. that could strain the relationship long term. You also run the risk of if you really if Cam really wants to get crazy, or some might not call it crazy, he could just sign the $6 million qualifying offer, which would have him on a one-year contract at $6 million and he’d be an unrestricted free agent next summer. I don’t think the Nets I don’t think that’s a wise move for the Nets to put Cam in a position where he’s thinking about signing that qualifying offer because I think they should be able to get him at a bargain number which keeps him under their team control for the next two seasons probably also lets them retain uh bird rights on him. So, you know, if I was going to say what Cam Thomas’ market is going to be at and what I think a logical contract could look like for him, I’d say something probably in the 15 to20 million range over two years. I said that on a prior pod last week updating this and I really haven’t, you know, budged on that. The Nets don’t even have to offer him that. Like they don’t have to offer him a deal in the 15 to 20 million dollar range for multiple years because I don’t think that there’s another team out there that’s going to do that. But by doing that, I think the Nets keep Cam in the building. They retain him as an asset. They keep him somewhat happy, although I’m sure he was hoping for more. And it also gives them another extended runway where you have him and you can see what he is. And if he plays well and he rounds out some of those less polished aspects of his game, he could be a long-term piece for you. Or if not, he could just be, you know, a midsize contract that could be used in a trade or he could be a player who’s on a short-term deal that’s not that huge and it comes off your books and you’re no worse off for wear. So I think if I had to guess that Cam and the Nets come to an agreement, that’s probably, you know, a short-term deal. I’d say most likely a two-year deal somewhere in the 15 to20 million range and they keep him and they give him a more extended runway to audition with the team alongside all these younger draft picks and all these guys they brought in as they try to continue to craft their long-term plans. Now, is Cam going to be happy about that? I don’t think any of the restricted free agents are going to be happy about how this plays out. When you look at guys, especially like Cam Thomas, Quinton Grimes, um you know, Jonathan Kaminga, Josh Giddy, like all those guys, I just don’t think that there’s really a market for them as I outlined. I think because of that, they’re all going to have to sign for deals that are well below what they were hoping for. So, it might be a situation where Cam’s coming into the season. He’s not really feeling the love from the Nets. He’s not sure, you know, where he’s valued and how he fits into their long-term plans, which probably has been the case, you know, since he’s been drafted because we obviously know that this has been a rocky relationship, you know, from the beginning where Cam wasn’t in the rotation. Wasn’t all that surprising. And then the Nets traded KD and Kyrie. He still wasn’t in the rotation that season, the second half of that season after they traded KB and Kyrie, but they were still trying to compete for the playoffs. And since then, these last two seasons, he has been a focal point of the rotation. But it really like the Nets waited until they absolutely had to put him into the rotation. It would have made no sense to keep him on the bench until they did that. Even the beginning of you know not last, not this season, the beginning of last season, the 2023 24 season, there were still some rocky points in the beginning of that year. He was coming off the bench under Jo Vaughn to start the year. There were some there was that one stretch in the first half of the season where his minutes were kind of fluctuating. Like he had some games where he was only playing like 15 minutes a game for a stretch there in the first half of that year. So, there’s just been a lot of uncertainty about how the Nets value Cam Thomas. And I think that this draft and the comments that we’ve gotten from Shawn Marx and Jordy Fernandez, I think have really added to that uncertainty, at least from my perspective, because you look at Cam Thomas, the things that he does well and doesn’t do well. We all know that he’s an elite scorer. You know, he brings that to the table. I think he’s really improved in his efficiency, which has been nice to see. But the playmaking stands, you know, has a lot of room for growth, I would say. and the defense frankly has been bad and it’s just really you know there’s really I would say little I have little hope that he’s going to be ever be a plus defender at the NBA level. Could he maybe be a wash? Possibly, but I’m not even sure I’m that hopeful for that. So undersized guy who’s as shoot first as they come, who’s not really a good defender. Is that the type of player that the Nets are looking at, you know, building around long term? When you look at what this the comments that Seawn Marks made after this draft, he talked about, you know, the guys that they brought in with their five first round picks and like the buzzwords that he used were high field, pass first, uh, versatile, sizable, uh, can guard multiple positions, can play multiple positions. All those things aren’t really things, you know, aren’t really descriptors that fit Cam Thomas whatsoever. So, that obviously brings into question of how the Nets are valuing Cam Thomas. and you know they haven’t had to give him a lot of money in this free agency because there is no market but I think if the Nets were really high on Cam Thomas that they would have given him you know something and there would have been an agreement where the two sides could come to some resolution even if Cam’s you know unless Cam’s expectations I guess were a little bit just unrealistic from the jump which they might have been but I think how Cam could fit into the Nets long-term plans in his mind is probably different from how the Nets view him fitting into their long-term plans in their mind if the Nets want to keep Cam Thomas. Is it going to be, you know, a star lead guy who has the ball in his hands most of the game? I would say probably not. And that’s the that’s the role that Cam Thomas wants to be in. And hey, like I’m never going to fault him. He’s an extremely confident guy. He’s an extremely talented guy. Like one of the most talented scorers and bucket getters that we’ve seen in recent Nets memory. So, he’s going to want that lead star role, and I understand that. He’s extremely young. He’s 23 years old. He could still develop these aspects of his game and become a better player. and maybe he will. So, he’s going to want to be in that role. But based on the past history of how the Nets have used him, based on how this free agency is playing out, based on the descriptors of what Shawn Marks you the words that he used of what he was looking for in this draft and just the guys that he brought in matching that, it doesn’t seem like Cam is a guy who is, you know, fits what they’re looking for in terms of being a centerpiece and a focal point. And maybe that means that they could bring him back on a smaller contract and he could still be a really valuable piece for them, but maybe not in that lead role, but I don’t think that’s what Cam is looking for. So, if they do get him back on, say a two-year contract, like, you know, which is something that I could see as very realistic. Does he get to a point where, you know, Cam either the next, you know, pivot and feel that he could be a lead guy for them and he could be, you know, this like star level guy that they can build around long term? Or does it get to a point where Cam kind of budges and say, “Hey, look, there wasn’t a market for me. I’m not sure there’s going to be long term. I might have to change how I’m viewing this and fit into, you know, while still a really important role, maybe not like that 1A, 1B type guy, a little bit more of a complimentary piece.” We’ll see. Like I’m not sure if either of those, you know, things are going to happen or either of those sides are going to come to that conclusion. It they very well may, but if they don’t, this could be something where, you know, Cam isn’t as much of a long-term piece for them. He very well still may be, but we’ll just see. There hasn’t been a lot to, you know, lend confidence or lead you to believe that Cam is a guy that’s going to fit into the team’s long-term plans, but there’s still a lot that can change. As I said, Cam is only 23 years old. I think that he has a long way to go in terms of his development. I think that, you know, him changing the way he views things a little bit could help. And I also think him just getting added reps that the Nets didn’t give him throughout the first, you know, two and a half seasons of his career. I think that that will really help because Cam was behind the eight-ball a little bit because he came into a situation where the Nets were trying to contend. They didn’t play him even after that. His role really wasn’t solidified until Jo Vaughn get out the door and I thought he should have been playing earlier than that. So added reps could help Cam improve in those areas and we’ll just see as the market plays out and as these things develop on and he gets a better sense of the direction that the NBA is going. Maybe that changes his mindset on certain things. But I would expect Cam to be back. But I just think that the way this free agency is playing out is doing it’s not doing anything to add confidence. you know, that there already wasn’t any confidence that Cam is a piece that the Nets are certainly, you know, prioritizing and saying like this is our guy who’s definitely gonna fit into our long-term plan. So, we’ll see how it plays out. But, you know, it’s going to be interesting to say the least. Coming up after a quick break, I’m going to have a Net summer league roster update with an injury and also an update on where the Nets stand with their cap space. Coming out of the break, closing out today’s lockdown on Nets episode. Have a summer league injury update. Drake Pal, the uh number 22 pick in the draft wing out of North Carolina, was ruled out for the Nets for all of summer league due to what the Nets are calling left knee tendinopathy. So, pretty much Pal said that he um he tweaked his knee during a you know during the pre-draft process likely in a workout and the Nets are holding him out of the summer league as strictly precautionary. They emphasized that he’s fine that this is just a precautionary measure and there’s no reason to risk anything and have him playing at summer league, but he’s traveling with the team to Las Vegas. He’s still been participating in practices and workouts, just not going to be playing in the games. So that’s, you know, pretty disappointing because Pal was, I think, you know, from an athleticism standpoint was the most exciting pick of the Nets draft and he’s one of the most athletic draft picks in, you know, Nets’s franchise history. A lot of people regard him as the most athletic guy um in this year’s draft class. So getting to see him on the floor at summer league and get to see, you know, some of those things that he can do athletically would have been really exciting in addition to the things that he could potentially do as just a three and D win shooting the ball defending. Um maybe adding, you know, some tools to his offensive tool bag that we didn’t get to see at North Carolina, but we could with a change of scenery. We’re just not going to see that. So doesn’t sound like it’s a major up major injury or anything like that for Drake Pal. just a precaution, but unfortunately Nets fans are going to have to wait a little bit longer to see him play. That won’t come until um the preseason and the start of the regular season. But the other four first round picks for the Nets. Um Jagor Demond, Nolan Troy, Ben Sarath, and Demi Wolf all will be playing at summer league. So, can’t be too mad if you’re a Nets fan because you still got four first round picks, uh rookie first round picks from the same draft playing for you at summer league. Something that has never happened before in the history of the NBA. So, there’ll be plenty to talk about there. Last thing, we have a little bit of a cap space and salary cap update about the Nets. Keith Smith of Sprack just put this out today. Said that the Net the Nets renounced free agent rights. So renounced cap holds for LaMarcus Aldridge, Wilson Chandler, Mike James, the Anthony Melon, Dennis Smith Jr., and Zire Williams. So, taking all those cap holds off the books, uh, which cap holds are, you know, placeholders for reagent free agents that sit on a team salary cap sheet and eat into their cap space. By, you know, taking all of those off the books, the Nets, Keith has them at a little over $22 million in cap space, and they still have access to the room uh, inception, which is a free agent inception worth, I think, around $8 million. So, Zire Williams’ contract is a 2-year, $12 million deal. So, it’s $6 million annually. So, they could sign him into that room exception, which would add to their cap space. So, they would have more cap space and then they can also exceed the cap to resign Cam Thomas because they have their bird right. So, if they have $22 million in cap space, they can use that all to, you know, use on other people, you know, other salary dumps, other free agents, whatever other moves they want to use along those lines, they could also use the cap space to resign Zer Williams and Cam Thomas. So, it depends, I guess, on what the opportunities are going to be with that cap space. The Nets are probably still canvasing the league for salary dump opportunities. They could be looking at some guys still on the free agent market, although probably less likely. But, the Nets still have a lot of financial flexibility. They still have a lot to work with here after swinging those trades for Terrence Man and for Michael Porter Jr., also agreeing to new contracts with Dron Sharp and Zire Williams. So, plenty of flexibility left, more than any other team in the NBA. I think the only team that can come close to this is the Utah Jazz. If they renounce some of their free agents, they can open some cap space, but the Nets still have things to do. There’s still moves to make. There’s still a lot of business um you know, to be tended to when we talk about Cam Thomas and some of these other guys. So, it’s going to be exciting. I’m going to be out at summer league, try to talk to some people there, get some more updates for you. I’ll have more daily pods there. But that does it for this episode of Lockdown Nets. Thank you to all of you for tuning in and supporting the show. If you do not already, make sure to subscribe to Lockdown Nets on YouTube and wherever you get your podcast, whether Apple Podcast or Spotify, be sure to smash that like button, comment. Anything you can do to engage is much appreciated. Let me know what you think about Cam Thomas’ restricted free agency. Let me know what you think he’s worth. Let me know how you think he should factor into the team’s long-term plans. But I’ll be back tomorrow talking more Brooklyn Nets basketball.

Erik Slater breaks down the latest on Cam Thomas’ restricted free agency with the Brooklyn Nets. He discusses what he’s been hearing from around the league and what he views as the most likely outcome for the fourth-year guard’s next contract.

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