The Brooklyn Nets and guard Cam Thomas had been at odds this offseason before Thomas accepted his $6 million qualifying offer (QO) to return to the team for the 2025-26 NBA season. Brooklyn was able to get Thomas for a cheaper number, at least for next season, but the result is likely not what either party was hoping for and some around the league agree.
“Said one league source not associated with the Nets: ‘Cam Thomas get the QO to no surprise. Can’t imagine how many shots he’s going to take this year,'” NetsDaily reported when writing about Thomas accepting his QO. Since the beginning of free-agency in July, Thomas had been looking for the kind of contract that he felt he deserved, but his being a restricted free-agent made matters more difficult for him.
“The source described the ultimate outcome as ‘another failure in asset management’ by the Nets,” NetsDaily continued. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on Thursday that Thomas accepted his QO after being unable to come to an agreement with Brooklyn that satisfied both parties ahead of a 2025-26 season in which the Nets are hoping will show some development out of the younger players on the roster.
According to Charania, Thomas chose to accept his QO instead of taking two offers from the Nets that would give them different levels of flexibility and compensation as a result. One of the offers was a two-year, $30 million contract with the second year being a team option and the other offer was a one-year, $9.5 million deal with the potential to pay Thomas as much as $11 million if he met incentives.
Thomas, 23, is coming off a 2024-25 season in which he averaged 24.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game while shooting 43.8% from the field and 34.9% from three-point land. Thomas accepting his QO gives him a full no-trade clause and allows him to be an unrestricted free-agent next summer, something that didn’t seem to be likely for either party just a few months ago.