Latest news with #NTMLE
USA Today
2 hours ago
- Business
- USA Today
Nets FA Cam Thomas likely to sign deal worth $25 million annually
The Brooklyn Nets have plenty of decisions to make this offseason as they seek to significantly improve the roster before the beginning of the 2025-26 NBA season. Brooklyn not only has to think about who they will be taking in the 2025 NBA Draft, but they also have to worry about what they will do in free-agency. "Several sources have indicated he's likely to command a deal as high as $100 million over four years, well in with first rank shooting guards at his age," NetsDaily reported on what Nets guard Cam Thomas is expected to earn in free-agency this summer. Thomas is a restricted free-agent this summer after spending his first four seasons in Brooklyn after being taken with the 27th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft out of LSU. "Moreover, those same sources see Thomas signing as a priority for the Nets," NetsDaily continued. "Because of the Nets monopoly on cap space and the new CBA, the Nets aren't likely to have much competition for him." Many around the NBA have weighed in on what Thomas should command on the free-agent market, but it seems that he's likely to sign for somewhere between $20 million and $25 million per season. One fact to consider for anyone predicting Thomas' next contract is that he is a restricted free-agent, meaning that the Nets have more leverage than they would with an unrestricted free-agent thanks to the offer sheet matching mechanic. Granted, if a rival team wants Thomas bad enough, they could put forth an offer that Brooklyn may not want to match and Thomas would be playing with that team as a result. However, unless something significantly changes between now and when free-agency is in full-swing, the Nets are one of few teams that would be able to offer Thomas more than the Non-taxpayer Mid-Level Exception (NTMLE) of $14.105 million. Given the nature of how most teams won't be able to spend much money in free-agency this summer, Thomas could opt to sign with Brooklyn for the financial security.
USA Today
11 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
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.
