The free agency stalemate between Cam Thomas and the Brooklyn Nets has come to a close. Thomas is signing his one-year, $6 million qualifying offer to return to the team, according to ESPN's Shams Charania.
Thomas' decision comes after he and the Nets were unable to reach an agreement on a long-term deal. The 23-year-old is now set to hit unrestricted free agency next summer and will have a no-trade clause this season.
According to Charania, Brooklyn's offers to Thomas included a two-year, $30 million deal with a team option in the second year and a one-year, $9.5 million deal with incentives up to $11 million while waiving his no-trade clause. The 2021 first-round pick opted for less money while retaining his no-trade clause and setting himself up for unrestricted free agency next summer when a third of the league projects to have cap space.
Cam Thomas signing one-year, $6 million qualifying offer to return to Nets
Thomas emerged as Brooklyn's leading scorer over the last two seasons, averaging 22.9 points on 44/36/86 shooting splits over 91 appearances. However, concerns about his playmaking and defense have led to questions about his viability as a starter in a playoff-caliber rotation.
Thomas posted a 120.6 defensive rating last season, the third-worst in the NBA among players to average at least 25.0 minutes per game. He posted a 13.9 assist ratio (percentage of a player's possessions that ends in an assist), ranking 104th out of 129 qualified shooting guards, according to ESPN. Yet, the LSU product has flashed dynamic scoring ability during every step of his basketball journey.
With the Nets positioned as the NBA's only team with cap space, Thomas faced a tepid market during the first free agency of his career. However, interest in him around the league was scarce. Unlike fellow restricted free agents Jonathan Kuminga and Josh Giddey, no team had reported interest in pursuing a sign-and-trade for Thomas.
The fifth-year guard will now return to Brooklyn and attempt to prove himself worthy of a significant long-term contract.
