Brooklyn Nets guard Cam Thomas has signed his one-year qualifying offer worth just under $6 million, a move several scouts and league executives say reflects the limited outside interest he drew as a restricted free agent this summer.
According to sources cited by the New York Post, the 23-year-old has supporters in Brooklyn’s front office, yet the club was unwilling to negotiate against itself or extend a multiyear contract. By taking the qualifying offer, Thomas gains an implied no-trade clause; he must approve any trade during the 2025-26 season, and any acquiring team would hold only his Non-Bird rights.
Mutual Risk in Short-Term Deal
Thomas forfeited the chance at a longer guarantee to preserve his trade veto. A league source told the Post the arrangement could backfire if the Nets, who are not positioned as contenders, decide to shift minutes toward younger playmakers drafted by general manager Sean Marks.
“On a team that’s not trying to win and doesn’t care, if he signs the qualifying offer he runs the risk they don’t feature him after October,” the source said prior to the agreement.
Salary-Cap Positioning
Cap analyst Yossi Gozlan projects Brooklyn will sit about $7 million under the 2025-26 salary floor if they re-sign Ziaire Williams to the same two-year, $12.5 million contract that center Day’Ron Sharpe just received and waive several non-guaranteed deals. That cushion could allow the Nets to absorb salary in a trade to collect future assets, though a significant deal appears unlikely.
Sharpe’s new agreement pays $6.25 million in each of the next two seasons and includes a team option for 2026-27, keeping only the first year fully guaranteed.
The Nets open training camp next month with Thomas under contract but still facing roster decisions that could shape both his role and the franchise’s financial flexibility.
Source: Hoops Rumors
