The Brooklyn Nets have taken care of most of their business this offseason after taking five players in the 2025 NBA Draft and trading for Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. At this point, Brooklyn is looking towards training camp in late September and along the way, the hope is that they will be able to find a middle ground with restricted free-agent guard Cam Thomas.
“According to league sources, nothing indicates the Nets are worried about losing Cam Thomas,” NetsDaily reported during its latest update on the situation surrounding Thomas and Brooklyn. The report follows an article published by ESPN in which Tim Bontemps echoed the same sentiment as other insiders that Thomas could be the most likely of the remaining RFAs to take his $5.99 million qualifying offer (QO) due to the current state of negotiations.
“Amid the stream of Fischer and Bontemps’ reporting, one league source told NetsDaily where Thomas sees his market,” NetsDaily continued. “(Phoenix Suns guard) Jalen Green, making $33.3 million per year until 2027-28, when he has a $36 million player option, (Toronto Raptors guard) Immanuel Quickley, making $32.5 million over the next four years, (and) (Miami Heat guard) Tyler Herro averaging $32 million over the next two years. ‘That’s where he sees his market, if not higher,’ said the source.”
Brian Lewis of the New York Post reported earlier this offseason that Thomas was looking for his next contract to average around $30 million per season, but the reporting from NetsDaily suggests even bigger aspirations. Lewis noted in his report that Thomas believes that he is at least on par with players like Green, Quickley, and Herro when it comes to what he should be paid in his next deal.
Given the way that negotiations have progressed between Thomas and the Nets, it seems that the former LSU Tiger is not getting close to the $30 million AAV figure that he’s looking for this offseason. Brooklyn has the leverage and the cap space to essentially force Thomas to play for them for at least one more year. The only question that has to be answered at this point is if Thomas will take his QO or take the two-year, $29 million deal Brooklyn reportedly presented to him.