Nets' Cam Thomas, D'Angelo Russell listed as top-30 NBA free-agents
The Brooklyn Nets have a big offseason ahead of them as they have five picks in the upcoming 2025 NBA Draft along with plenty of cap space to use. Brooklyn has a few days before the Draft begins on Wednesday, but with Game 7 of the NBA Finals happening on Sunday, the Nets will also have to worry about free-agency.
Speaking of free-agency, Nets guards Cam Thomas and D'Angelo Russell are regarded as top-30 free-agents this offseason, according to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report. Thomas, who is a restricted free-agent, ranks 15th on the list while Russell, who is unrestricted, places 28th on the list after what each player did during the 2024-25 season.
Thomas, 23, is coming off a season in which he averaged 24.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game while shooting 43.8% from the field and 34.9% from three-point land. In what was arguably his best season in his four-year career, Thomas played in just 25 games as he dealt with multiple left hamstring strains, the third of which ended his season in March.
Pincus predicts that Thomas and the Nets will come to terms on a deal starting in the $24 million range while acknowledging that Thomas' could be lower due to the nature of the salary cap situation across the league. "While he's believed to have been seeking over $30 million in prior negotiations, that number may need to be much lower for a deal. Since he's restricted, Brooklyn has all the leverage, and no one else has the kind of cap room to give Thomas an offer sheet of note," Pincus wrote.
Russell, 29, is coming off a campaign in which he averaged 12.9 points, 2.8 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 1.1 steals per game during his 29 games played with the Nets. Russell came over to Brooklyn in a midseason trade with the Los Angeles Lakers to be the starting point guard, but it was clear that his numbers for the entire season were down from his prior three seasons.
When it comes to Russell, Pincus predicts that the former Ohio State Buckeye will sign with the Milwaukee Bucks as they would be the team with the best offer for him at the Taxpayer Mid-level Exception (TMLE), listed as $5.685 million for the 2025-26 season. "If he can't get a team to give him the full NTMLE, he may have to settle for the TMLE with a team in need of a lead guard who can shoot the three," Pincus wrote.
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