Cam Thomas has decided to bet on himself. The Brooklyn Nets guard, one of the league’s most explosive young scorers, turned down two multi-year offers from the franchise before settling on a one-year, $6 million qualifying offer that gives him both security and flexibility.
By accepting the deal, Thomas secured a full no-trade clause and positioned himself to hit unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2026, when more than ten teams are projected to have significant cap space.
According to reports from ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Nets initially offered Thomas a two-year, $30 million contract with a team option on the second season. They also floated a one-year, $9.5 million deal that could have reached $11 million with incentives, but it required him to waive a no-trade clause.
Thomas declined both, instead choosing the shorter, less lucrative qualifying offer that grants him greater control of his future.
It’s a rare move in the NBA landscape. Only five former first-round picks since 2017 have accepted a qualifying offer rather than signing an extension. The decision reflects both Thomas’ confidence in his value and the unstable situation in Brooklyn.
The 23-year-old has quietly grown into one of the Nets’ cornerstone scorers, averaging 24 points, 3.8 assists, and 3.3 rebounds last season despite being limited to just 25 games due to hamstring injuries.
Even in that shortened season, Thomas showed the ability to create under pressure. He was double-teamed on 18 percent of his touches, the fourth-highest rate in the league among players with at least 1,000 touches, behind only Zion Williamson, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Defenses keyed in on him as Brooklyn’s clear first option, and still he delivered. His scoring explosion hasn’t been a fluke either: across the past two seasons, Thomas has averaged 22.9 points in 31 minutes per game, and he already has nine career 40-point games.
But the Nets’ trajectory complicates things. General manager Sean Marks has plunged the franchise into a deep rebuild, stockpiling draft picks and trading away veterans like Dennis Schroder, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Cam Johnson.
The blockbuster July deal that sent Johnson to Denver for Michael Porter Jr. and a future unprotected first-round pick underscored the team’s commitment to the long game rather than immediate contention. With five rookies drafted this summer, the Nets’ roster is one of the youngest in the league.
Thomas, meanwhile, is entering his prime and already unfollowed the team on social media earlier in the offseason, fueling speculation about his long-term happiness in Brooklyn. By signing the qualifying offer, he gains leverage: the Nets cannot trade him without his consent this season, and he’ll enter unrestricted free agency in 2026 free to sign anywhere.
The gamble is obvious. If Thomas stays healthy and continues producing at an All-Star level, he could command a contract north of $100 million on the open market. For the Nets, it means another year of walking a fine line, investing in their top scorer while knowing he may walk next summer.
For now, Cam Thomas is back in Brooklyn. But his decision to turn down stability for control speaks volumes. The 2025-26 season may be his last in a Nets jersey, and both the franchise and its fanbase know it.
