The notorious “bucket getter” landed a not-so B.I.G. contract with the Brooklyn Nets. As reported by Shams Charania, there was a lot left to be desired for Cam Thomas. 

Accepting the $6 million qualifying offer only brings about more uncertainty about the Nets’ future and whether Thomas is part of it.
Breaking Down the Deal
The Nets offered Cam Thomas two deals prior to settling on the qualifying offer. The first was a two-year, $30 million deal, with a team option for the second year. Thomas declined. They then offered him a one-year contract for $9.5 million. This deal included incentives up to $11 million, but waived the no-trade clause. Thomas declined.

The outcome is a deal that is almost paradoxically bad. It is somehow both a win-win and a lose-lose for either side. Yes, the Nets keep a scorer who averaged 24 points per game before his injury last season. Yes, Thomas has leverage by retaining a no-trade clause. That is the win-win.

The Nets do not have to include him in the offense this year if they do go full tank mode. This would make it incredibly hard for Thomas to create any sort of value for himself. It would also deprive Nets fans of seeing their most exciting player do what he does best, which is scoring at high volumes, showing off his deep bag, and hitting difficult shots.

insane amount of tough buckets for a 25-game sample

— Brett Usher (@UsherNBA) September 4, 2025

Thomas only played in 25 games last season due to a hamstring injury. That certainly could have hurt his value. But he has done more than enough to prove that he has elite scoring prowess and an untouchable confidence at just 23 years old. These players don’t come around often.
What the No-trade Clause Means for Brooklyn

Cam Thomas retaining his no-trade clause means he has all of the leverage. If the Nets eventually decide to trade him mid-season, he has the choice to accept or decline. Thomas is taking a pay cut for full control over his future. By bidding against himself, he is simultaneously betting on himself.

If Thomas approves a trade, he would lose out on his bird rights with Brooklyn, meaning he could be paid $7.2 million with a new team. If he stays in Brooklyn, they would have the ability to re-sign him, even if that puts them over the salary cap.

This really only leaves the Nets with three options. One is trading Thomas to a contending team where he could be a happy, daily contributor. Two is paying him the money he claims he deserves after the season. Three is letting him walk and get paid elsewhere as an unrestricted free agent. No matter how you slice it, Thomas wins and the Nets lose, but only if Cam Thomas can further prove himself as one of the leagues top scoring talents.

What Happens Next?
The Nets currently have 22 players rostered on the team. It doesn’t take a mathematician to figure out that the number is higher than the allowed 21 for the offseason. NBA teams can also carry 15 standard-contract players on their roster, along with three two-way contract players, for a total number of 18. Despite having so many players, they are also still roughly $8 million short of the salary floor. General manager Sean Marks is going to have to make some more moves before the season tips off on October 22.

Head coach Jordi Fernandez also does not have to play Thomas, especially if they plan on chasing one of the top picks in a loaded 2026 draft class. It also seems that the coaching staff is putting their efforts into developing the young talent from this year’s draft. They have no reason to include him as an integral part of the rotation this year, and he may not see the 24-point production he saw last year.

The Nets don’t have long-term plans for Cam Thomas and are unlikely to feature him much on offense next season as they look to tank, per @NetsDaily

“With Thomas future so uncertain, the Nets are unlikely to feature him as much as if they had signed him to a long-term contract… pic.twitter.com/A6Zdlbb4eW

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) September 4, 2025

Thomas is also almost forced to play nicely with Brooklyn. If he isn’t going to be a large contributor to the offense, and he isn’t going to consent to a trade that dumps him off for even more draft capital, then he has to find value somehow, especially after being seen as problematic after a series of remarks he made on social media this summer in response to Zach Lowe.

The consenus? F*** you and the consensus @ZachLowe_NBA . This is most likely the same consensus teams who can’t guard me and send double teams from jump ball . Why are we double teaming a guy who’s “not that good” make it make sense please. https://t.co/IrHNVHYqTc

— Cam Thomas (@24_camthomas) July 18, 2025

It is imperative that Thomas be an absolute prince in the locker room and at practice. Fernandez may use him more as a tool to help develop and mentor some of the rookies rather than to win games. How accepting Thomas will be of this role is to be determined, if that is the route the Nets go. But with this narrative against him, he almost has to be used as a pawn for the Nets, and they are certainly playing him like one.

Does Thomas’ Future in the NBA Exist in Brooklyn?

The answer isn’t perfectly clear, but the signs are pointing to no. The trade for Michael Porter Jr. and buy-in to to their emerging talent and draft capital already raised red flags for Cam Thomas and his future in Brooklyn. This deal made it evidently clear that ties will be severed eventually.

It just isn’t possible to feature two high-volume shooters in this offense, help develop five rookies, while also seeking to obtain a generational talent in the draft next year to serve as your next franchise player.

These factors make it impossible to further view Thomas as the long-term face of the Brooklyn franchise. A place just months ago he called “home”.

The Nets are playing the elite scoring talent as a chess piece. They knew he had no value in this year’s free agency outside of the organization, resulting in a disrespectfully low signing for someone fans view as the cornerstone player and one with incredible potential.

Dudes will look you dead in the face and tell you that you don’t know ball if you think Cam Thomas has potential.

Cam Thomas averaged 24.4 in games he started in last season which would rank him 3rd in the NBA in his position.

Tied for 3rd with Donovan Mitchell, if not. pic.twitter.com/xDu9lz955Z

— Cam (@packdrip) September 4, 2025

He has progressed as a playmaker, averaging 3.8 assists in his shortened season last year. That’s in an offense that struggled to produce more than 100 points per game in his absence. He is an undeniably elite scorer. Yes, he is a lackluster defender, but he helps the Nets win games. And that is the biggest problem. Thomas helps a team in full tank mode win more basketball games.

I think the pendulum has actually swung too far in this regard.

It’s much more nuanced than impacting winning. Cam Thomas impacted winning for the nets last season but the problem for him is that the nets want to lose. It’s not clear yet if he impacts winning for good teams

— Eye4Impact (@Eye4Impact_NBA) September 5, 2025

Maybe there is a timeline where he can stay healthy. Maybe there is a timeline where he improves as a defender. Maybe there is a timeline where they flip Porter Jr. instead. Maybe there is a timeline where Cam Thomas eventually signs a long-term deal to stay in Brooklyn. After today, that timeline doesn’t seem anywhere near realistic.