All has been quiet on the Cam Thomas front recently.
NBA free agency began June 30, but the Nets’ polarizing young scoring guard remains unsigned.
He is joined by notable restricted free agents like Golden State’s Jonathan Kuminga, Chicago’s Josh Giddey and Philadelphia’s Quentin Grimes.
“I look forward to the summer and look forward to those conversations with [other] free agents, and we’ll see where it all plays out,” Nets general manager Sean Marks said in April. “But I do think it’s important to be able to keep your homegrown talent.”
Thomas received a $5.99 million qualifying offer from the Nets on June 29, signaling their intent to retain him. As a restricted free agent, he can negotiate and sign an offer sheet with any NBA team. But Brooklyn can match any offer, and with most teams lacking significant cap space, Thomas’ options are limited, giving the Nets significant leverage.
The 23-year-old averaged a career-high 24 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game last season but was limited to 25 games due to injury, leaving experts divided on his worth. The expectation is that Thomas will eventually sign a multi-year contract, likely spanning three to four years, with an annual average value of $20-25 million.
“I know my value,” Thomas told reporters in April. “I know what I’m worth around the league. It’s not really nothing for me to be intimidated or excited about because I know my value that I bring to a team… I definitely know I know my value and all my work. I think that’s all that matters to me.”
Thomas has not spoken extensively about his free agency since the offseason began, but he has been attentive to the discourse surrounding him. Zach Lowe, a prominent NBA analyst, recently discussed Thomas on his podcast, stating: “The consensus on Cam Thomas — if there is one, with some fans and some mega-detractors — is kind of like ‘Empty Calories Ball Hog.’”
As expected, Thomas, confident in his abilities, took Lowe’s words personally, though Lowe was merely relaying sentiments from sources.
On Friday morning, he responded on social media, posting: “The consensus? F*** you and the consensus @ZachLowe_NBA. This is most likely the same consensus teams who can’t guard me and send double teams from jump ball. Why are we double teaming a guy who’s “not that good” make it make sense please.”
Thomas has a point, as do Lowe and his sources, but his offensive output since entering the league is undeniable. He’s the youngest NBA player to score 40-plus points in three consecutive games and holds the Nets’ record for the most 40-point games by a player 22 or younger.
As Nets Wire’s Sharif Phillips-Keaton noted, Thomas is among 12 guards who averaged 24.0 points and 3.8 assists per game while shooting at least 43.8% from the field last season, alongside stars like Donovan Mitchell and Stephen Curry.
Thomas also saw Phillips-Keaton’s post and responded: “Nobody sees this when it comes to me though 😂😂😂😂 I’m dead.”
