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Brooklyn Nets guard Cam Thomas is reportedly seeking a contract worth $30 million per year in restricted free agency. However, he may have to settle for a deal far less than that. According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, the Nets haven't offered the 23-year-old anything more than a two-year deal at $14 million annually with a team option in the second year.
While Thomas feels he's worth far more, Jeff Teague said Brooklyn's offer is fair based on the Nets guard's player archetype.
“When you get put in that role, you always get underpaid. Lou Williams got underpaid his whole career… You never see just scorers that come off the bench, sixth-man, just straight scoring specialists, get super paid. It’s rare you see that,” Teague said. “Like Jamal Crawford was a great player, but he got paid when he was a starter. When he got the Sixth Man of the Year, I think the most he got was 15-14 million. You would think somebody like him, with the scoring potential… You would think they made $25 million per year. And then when you go look, and it's like, ‘Damn, they only [got that]?'
“But it's because you got one role [scorer]. Even like Jordan Clarkson and them, they're getting paid. But 14, 15, 16 million, that's about y'all's range. It ain't far off. The Nets ain't disrespecting him really. I know he's averaging 24 [points], but they're looking at it more as you're doing this on our bad Nets team. He's looking at it like I got potential to be a superstar, I got potential to be one of the guys. But they just don't see that in him. They're still looking for the guy. If they thought he was the guy, they would've paid him like the guy.”
Thomas has flashed elite scoring ability throughout his four-year NBA career. However, his lack of size, playmaking, and defense has led many to label him as a bench scorer in a playoff rotation.
Thomas has higher aspirations, telling ClutchPoints in March that he feels he's been “one of the best guards in the league” when given minutes. While the former first-round pick feels he should be paid as such, he has little leverage to extract a star-level contract.
The Nets are the NBA's only team with cap space and can match any offer made to the LSU product. Opposing teams seeking to sign Thomas to an offer sheet are limited to the $14.1 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception.
Jeff Teague advises Cam Thomas to accept Nets' contract offer amid stalemate
Cam Thomas may ultimately decline Brooklyn's two-year, $28 million offer. In such a scenario, he can sign his $6 million qualifying offer and become an unrestricted free agent next summer. He would have veto rights on any trade during the season.
However, Teague cautioned Thomas against the decision, outlining the risks of passing on a $28 million contract.
“Maybe he signs the qualifying offer, and he goes out there and he kills. But for me, I'm gonna tell the Nets, alright, I'm gonna sign that [two-year, $28 million] deal. Give me a player option. And I'm gonna go out and I'll play. Because you always wanna solidify that first contract. You don't wanna be out here [with no deal],” Teague said. “Imagine if he takes that qualifying offer and he don't get no tick. I'm not saying he ain't gonna get no tick because he's good enough to play. But imagine if they just say, we're gonna go with the draft picks and these guys, and they just start f***ing with his minutes. Now, when you solidify $14 million on that team, you're gonna play.”
“You don't wanna get caught up in, hey, we're losing anyway, we might as well just see what these young guys got. [The Nets could be] like, why would we play Cam? He's gonna be an unrestricted free agent. We're probably not gonna be able to sign him back. F**k it. You're either gonna get traded or they're just gonna sit you on the bench and you're not gonna get the rock like you want to.”
Thomas' stalemate with the Nets may not come to a resolution anytime soon. The two sides are said to be in no rush to agree to a deal. However, given the NBA's cap landscape, it's difficult to envision Thomas receiving an offer exceeding Brooklyn's.
If that is the case, he'll have to decide whether to gamble on himself with the qualifying offer or settle for the Nets' deal.
