It’s an unfortunate situation for Cam Thomas, the 22-year-old guard for the Brooklyn Nets. As the NBA free agency period gets underway, he’s attending to his own intrigues and opportunities. After averaging a career-high 24 points over 25 games last season, Thomas showcased his scoring ability, but his journey has not been without challenges. Back in college, he had three different hamstring strains that kept him off the field for long stretches of time and his durability came into question.
Even with his scoring ability, Thomas is a real puzzle piece. He fails to impact the game in ways other than scoring, as shown by his 0.7 deflections per game (323rd in the nation). Thomas was given a qualifying offer of $5.9 million. That makes it highly unlikely that he makes it to unrestricted free agency next summer. To make matters worse, he faces an uncertain future as a restricted free agent. His own future with the Nets now hangs in the balance.
The new and ever-changing list of suitors for Thomas now includes the Indiana Pacers and Los Angeles Lakers. Either franchise would be lucky to have him, and both should see him as a key piece to their growing rosters. It’s unlikely the Warriors chase Thomas. They already have Jonathan Kuminga, with overlapping skills, who is arguably his better self, and who similarly projects to become a more dependable player in short order.
When he was in high school, Thomas’s diverse skill set led to him being compared to proven NBA stars like Jimmy Butler III and Draymond Green. While this does point out the great things he can do offensively, it’s a glaring reminder of his inability to perform other functions on the floor. The Pacers might be able to use their non-taxpayer midlevel exception to add a center, which makes their pursuit of Thomas more complicated.
As the second long-term free agent signing approaches 👀 pic.twitter.com/j1pMKZ50PY — PFF (@PFF) March 24, 2023 Will Thomas receive a risky offer sheet from the Pacers or the Lakers? How those negotiations play out will go a long way towards determining his career trajectory and the Nets plans beyond this season.
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