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Cam Thomas said he and the Brooklyn Nets were “a match made in heaven” when the team selected him in the first round of the 2021 draft. Despite a tumultuous first four seasons with the team, he doubled down on the statement ahead of his restricted free agency.
“I never wavered from that. I always felt like this was a great fit for me,” Thomas said. “Obviously, I would've loved to play more [early on], but it was just part of the league, part of the business. I understood, but I never wavered. I always loved playing here when I got the opportunity to play in front of the fans… I definitely love playing at Barclays [Center]… Even now, I'm just playing freely, playing with a green light, I would say. So just experiencing that has been great, but definitely never wavered from [it being a] match made in heaven, like I said on draft day. That still applies to this day for me.”
After leading the nation's freshmen in scoring during his lone season at LSU, Thomas fell to No. 27 in the draft due to concerns about his playmaking and defense. He spent his first two NBA seasons planted on Brooklyn's bench. However, he cracked the rotation in 2023-24 and emerged as the team's leading scorer.
Thomas remains one of the league's most polarizing players as he enters free agency.
Cam Thomas feeling confident ahead of contract negotiations with Nets
The 23-year-old has proven he can score against NBA defenses, averaging 22.9 points on 44/36/86 shooting splits over 91 appearances the last two seasons. However, questions about his playmaking, defense and durability have raised questions about whether he's worth a significant long-term commitment.
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Cam Thomas told ClutchPoints in March that he feels he's been “one of the best guards in the league” when given opportunities. He remains confident in his body of work entering the summer.
“I know my value. I know what I'm worth around the league,” Thomas said. “It's not really anything for me to be intimidated or excited about because I know the value that I bring to a team. We'll see how it goes, but I definitely know my value and all my work. I think that's all that matters to me.”
The Nets will hold significant leverage in negotiations with Thomas. Brooklyn is the NBA's only team projected to have significant cap space. Opposing teams seeking to sign Thomas to an offer sheet will be limited to the non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($14.1 million).
Multiple league sources told ClutchPoints they expect Thomas' next contract to fall between $18 million and $24 million annually.
“This summer, we have a few of those decisions to make. Cam and Day'Ron [Sharpe], two guys that we drafted ourselves, as well as other free agents,” said general manager Sean Marks. “Both of those guys have shown tremendous development over the years. You saw Cam take on a little bit of a different role this year in several games. He became more of a playmaker out there, which is great. I know he's frustrated with not playing as many games as he did this year.
“It's always great when you are able to draft somebody like those two specifically, and then they get this opportunity to [decide] if they are going to sign their second contract with us. So I look forward to the summer, and look forward to those conversations with their agents, and we'll see where it all plays out. But I do think it's important to be able to keep your homegrown talent.”
