The Nets have issued a qualifying offer to guard Cam Thomas, making him a restricted free agent, but have opted to pass on QOs for swingman Ziaire Williams and big man Day’Ron Sharpe, according to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (all Twitter links).
Brooklyn would still like to work out new deals with Williams and Sharpe, Scotto explains, but tendering them qualifying offers would’ve cut into the team’s cap room, since Williams would have had a cap hold of over $18MM while Sharpe’s would have been nearly $12MM.
Thomas, on the other hand, seems like a good candidate to command a starting salary higher than his $12.1MM cap hold, so giving him a qualifying offer shouldn’t affect Brooklyn’s cap room and will reduce his potential flight risk. As long as they keep that qualifying offer in place and Thomas’ $12.1MM cap hold on their books, the Nets will be able to go over the cap to sign him to a more lucrative deal using his Bird rights, once their cap room has been used up.
Thomas was limited to just 25 appearances in 2024/25 due to hamstring injuries, but continued to show off an elite scoring ability when healthy, averaging a career-high 24.0 points and 3.8 assists per game. His qualifying offer is worth just shy of $6MM.
Williams, who was acquired from Memphis in a trade last offseason, averaged 10.0 points and 4.6 rebounds in 24.5 minutes per game across 63 outings (45 starts). His .341 3PT% wasn’t great, but it was a noticeable step up from the 30.1% mark he posted in his first three NBA seasons, and he showed off his defensive versatility, even handling center duties in a pinch. His QO would have been worth $8.35MM.
Sharpe, who has battled some injuries since entering the league, averaged 7.9 points and 6.6 rebounds in 18.1 minutes per night (50 games) in 2024/25. A Nets team that finished the season with a 26-56 record and a -7.3 net rating outscored its opponents by 2.1 points per 100 possessions when Sharpe was playing, which was – by far – the best mark of any rotation player who finished the season on Brooklyn’s roster. His QO would have been worth $5.98MM.
Although the Nets have interest in retaining Williams and Sharpe, passing on their qualifying offers means they will be unrestricted free agents and Brooklyn will no longer have the right of first refusal if they want to sign with another club.
Hope they work something out at least with Sharpe.
Interesting. They drafted so many rookies that they don’t have space for those 2 with how cap hold rules work.
Williams and Sharpe will find a place in the league. I wouldn’t mind seeing Sharpe in Washington.
Williams was the 10th pick in 2021, many of the guys who were picked before him could be big players in this league. If I remember, he was top-5 talent in his year, but had a bad year in college. Somebody should give him a role.
These were among the guys who Brooklyn too many games, lol.
I believe the non tender was expected, but they still want to bring Sharpe (or both) back. And given the cap condition of the rest of the league, I expect that Sharpe at least will return.
Personally, I think Brooklyn should try to get Aldama first. He’s gettable, he’s excellent, and he’s a sure thing. I really like players like him – just knows how to play basketball without sets, without plays drawn up for him, without a team having to work like a clock. If the next right move is to pass, he passes; if the move is to shoot, he shoots; if the move is to drive, he drives. The game is slow for him; he plays with a cool head; he doesn’t foul. I think he has one of the lowest foul-to-rebound ratios in the league. He doesn’t turn the ball over, defends well within his athletic abilities, has a steal and a block in him every game.
He’s everything I like in European players, especially those who come from Spain – that country has a very distinct and defined school of basketball.
Finishing at the rim is good, the jumper is starting to fall, but he doesn’t depend on it falling to be a good player.
That’s a very smart use of cap space. I think he’s worth at least 20m a year, possibly more. Might need to pay him on the higher side to ward off Memphis and prevent them from matching. Brooklyn might not need a guy like him, but he can be traded to a different team for picks.
Make Aldama a priority. If it doesn’t work out, go ahead and make deals with Sharpe and other players.
I think they need both and have the cap space to do it. They definitely need to begin assembling pieces that will be part of their next playoff team. This coming szn will be a transition year, but after that, they should be trying to win. A lot of teams will have cap space next summer and so they will not be able to exert any financial leverage then the way they can now.
On top of everything you said about him as a player, there is also the Spanish connection with Jordi.
Charlotte should be on the phone for Sharpe. He can play!
Warriors could use him. A nice tandem with Post.
It’s odd how much cap holds affect what a team does. I believe stashes even have cap holds. Milutinov just resigned for three years in Greece and will probably never come to the NBA but the Nets need to eat the cap hold to retain his rights in case they want to use it in a trade. Ironically, that could be the asset they use to complete their part of the Porzingis deal.
Ziaire had a big salary he wasn’t earning. I think they will make him an offer. Sharpe is also worth a longer look. Bklyn has plenty of cap space. You can’t just give it away. Nets are in full rebuild now. So can easily move Cam J, Claxton, Cam T all next year. ……easily the youngest team in NBA now.
Nets have the ability to sign Giddey and Kuminga .