The Nets did not agree to a contract extension with guard Cam Thomas by Monday’s 6 p.m. deadline.
Thomas will now become a restricted free agent after the 2024-25 season.
Brooklyn also did not agree to contract extensions with Day’Ron Sharpe and Ziaire Williams, according to the NY Post’s Brian Lewis.
The 23-year-old Thomas is entering the final year of his rookie deal and is slated to make about $4 million this season. The team had exercised their team options the past two years to keep Thomas in Brooklyn for the first four seasons of his career.
The Nets drafted Thomas out of LSU with the No. 27 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. He averaged just 8.5 points per game during his rookie season and has blossomed into a leading scorer, averaging 22.5 points per game over 66 contests during the 2023-24 season.
Thomas first burst onto the scene during the 2022-23 season, scoring 40+ points six times and becoming the youngest player in NBA history to score 40+ points in three straight games.
By choosing not to extend Thomas now, the Nets will head into the 2025 offseason with the most cap space in the league (projected to be around $80 million, per Spotrac), and are projected to be the only team with more than $30 million to sign a restricted free agent to an offer sheet, ESPN NBA Front Office Insider Bobby Marks notes.
Some of the top potential free agents reached agreements on their rookie contract extensions by Monday, including the Houston Rockets’ Alperen Şengün and Jalen Green, the Orlando Magic’s Jalen Suggs, the New Orleans Pelicans’ Trey Murphy, and the Atlanta Hawks’ Jalen Johnson. Notably, the Golden State Warriors and former top-10 pick Jonathan Kuminga did not agree on an extension, making him an RFA next summer like Thomas. The Nets would have the room to sign someone like Kuminga if they were interested.
The Nets head into the 2024-25 season with little expectations and have hopes of landing the No. 1 overall pick in the loaded 2025 NBA Draft, including top prospects Cooper Flagg (Duke), Ace Bailey (Rutgers), and Dylan Harper (Rutgers). Brooklyn begins their season Wednesday, Oct. 23 against the Atlanta Hawks.
