Expanding on his earlier reporting on restricted free agent guard Cam Thomas, Brian Lewis of The New York Post (subscriber link) says he has heard from three sources that there may not be resolution on the situation anytime soon. The Nets are the only NBA team with cap room remaining and continue to explore options for how to use that space. Until that happens, they’ll likely be in no rush to lock up Thomas to a new deal, and his camp isn’t pressing the issue either.
On top of that, there may be a substantial gap between how the two sides value Thomas. As Lewis writes, a source familiar with the guard’s thinking believes he could be seeking $30MM per year, since he doesn’t consider himself to be a lesser player than Immanuel Quickley (who is earning $32.5MM per year going forward), Tyler Herro ($32MM per year), or RJ Barrett ($28.7MM per year).
However, the Nets likely won’t consider a deal anywhere near that lucrative, especially with no rival suitors in position to offer Thomas a significant offer sheet. Two league sources who spoke to Lewis wondered if the 23-year-old might ultimately accept his $6MM qualifying offer in order to reach unrestricted free agency in 2026, though that would likely be a last resort.
Here are a few more notes on free agents from around the basketball world:
- CSE, an agency representing basketball players, held a pro day in Las Vegas on Tuesday of this week, according to Spencer Davies of RG.org, who says a number of teams were in attendance to watch players with past NBA experience, like Isaiah Wong, Izaiah Brockington, and Chasson Randle. G League and international veterans like center Garrison Brooks and wing Pedro Bradshaw also took part and have drawn some interest as potential NBA training camp signees, Davies adds.
- Wong has had “productive” discussions with the Jazz, Davies reports. The 24-year-old guard was in camp with Utah last fall and opened the season with the Salt Lake City Stars in the G League before catching on with Charlotte.
- After missing out on Vasilije Micic, who reached an agreement with Hapoel Tel Aviv, the EuroLeague club Real Madrid has its eye on a couple other NBA veterans. Relaying a report from the Spanish outlet Marca, Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops notes that veteran guard Lonnie Walker and big man Daniel Theis are on Real Madrid’s radar. Walker finished last season with the 76ers, while Theis played for AS Monaco after being waived by Oklahoma City in February.
Teams are smarter now and they don’t spend a boatload of money on players like Cam Thomas, who don’t contribute to a lot of winning. He’s not a great defender and he’s not a terribly efficient shooter.
He would a GREAT sixth man, but he likely wants star money.
I like Cam Thomas a lot but he is NOT a $30M AAV guy. For a team that needs guard scoring and has cap space, I believe GSW would be a good spot. He can play off ball with Steph and Butler, they are strong on perimeter defense so it’ll hide his weaknesses on defense. Probably would have to a S&T with Kuminga being involved though. Another team could be Indiana? Losing Hali hurts their backcourt and Cam can pickup the offensive slack while Hali is out.
I wouldn’t pay a guard who is bad defender and who is not a great three-point shooter.
Jordan Clarkson got paid a few years back for the same type of skill set that you are talking about with Cam Thomas. I believe.
raz427:
Yeah, but I never said I would’ve paid Jordan Clarkson big money either. I didn’t mind the Knicks signing him this year, but that’s for minimum money as bench depth.
I agree with the Clarkson comment, he shouldn’t have been paid big money like that to begin with. However, the only caveat that Thomas has that might be more beneficial for him is he can constantly hit the 3PT shot (35% for his career), and he’s had a season where he shot the 3 ball at nearly 38%. Clarkson has always been awful with his 3PT shot selection and making. That’s why I think a team like GSW would work well for him being the 3rd option most nights, and letting JB and Steph be the main focal points on offense.
raz427:
34.5% from three-point range really isn’t that good for a guard. Thomas is a volume scorer. Not a good defender. Not a very good three-point shooter. But he’s a good volume guy. The Clarkson comparison is good, but Thomas probably is better than what Clarkson was in his prime.
I agree with everything you said, I just think from strictly a bucket standpoint, he is better than most guys out on the opening market right now. He can light it up in a hurry if his shot is falling.
Mathurin is going to get an opportunity to step up for Indy.
No defense guards are getting phased out… might wanna not be so greedy and take 15-20 a year before you get to FA next year and don’t see a market.
RAPTORS fans being reminded of Quickley’s ridiculous contract.
mike.honcho:
I think the Raptors made a mistake taking Barrett and Quickley in the Anunoby trade. They should’ve opted for other players or focused more on draft picks.
Each of Quickley and OG, at the time of the trade, were in the last year of their contract year, and had salary demands that were substantially in excess of what their existing team was willing to offer. As a result, each was only going to trade at a discount to their on court value. Being traded for each other, the discounts cancelled out perhaps. TOR at least figured to have some leverage with Quickley, since he was a RFA. NYK had to pay OG as an UFA against a market that included cap space teams that were, or believed they were, contenders.
That said, Quickley is 2-way player, with position flexibility on both ends. A vastly superior player to Thomas, who is truly gifted as an isolation player. The NBA plays 5-on-5 though. BKN should pay him what he can command, but, whatever it is, the Quickley comparison won’t help him.