$10 million for 1 year! Thomas signs qualifying offer with the Nets: contract includes trade veto rights

On September 4th Beijing time, according to reporter Shams, sources informed ESPN that restricted free agent Cam Thomas has opted to accept a one-year, $10 million qualifying offer to stay with the Brooklyn Nets.

The Nets were unable to finalize a long-term contract with Thomas, leading the 23-year-old scoring guard to select this qualifying offer. The deal includes trade veto rights and allows him to become an unrestricted free agent next summer—when at least 10 teams will have salary cap space.

Among the few restricted free agents remaining on the NBA market (including Chicago Bulls' Cade Cunningham, Golden State Warriors' Jonathan Kuminga, and Philadelphia 76ers' De'Anthony Melton), Thomas is the first to make a decision. Sources revealed that Thomas's agent group discussed various contract structures with the Nets but ultimately declined two offers: one was a two-year, $30 million deal with a team option for the second year; the other was a one-year, $9.5 million contract (with incentives up to $11 million) that required giving up trade veto rights.

Last season, Thomas averaged 24.0 points, 3.8 assists, and 3.3 rebounds in 31.2 minutes per game, but due to a hamstring injury, he played only 25 games. This was the first time in his career he missed a significant number of games due to injury.

Additionally, GeniusIQ data shows that in the 2024-25 season, Thomas faced double teams on 18% of his touches per 100 touches. Among players with at least 1,000 touches, this rate ranks fourth, behind only Zion Williamson, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Giannis Antetokounmpo.

In his first two NBA seasons, Thomas averaged just 9.5 points in 17.1 minutes per game; however, over the past two seasons, his performance has significantly improved, averaging 22.9 points in 31.4 minutes. Throughout his career, he has scored 40 or more points in nine games, ranking fourth in Nets history behind Vince Carter, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Durant.