The Brooklyn Nets are preparing for a busy offseason following year one of their rebuild. Negotiating a new contract for Cam Thomas will be among their top orders of business.
Thomas remains one of the NBA’s most polarizing young players four years into his career. The 23-year-old has flashed elite scoring potential, averaging 22.9 points on 44/36/86 shooting splits over 91 appearances the last two seasons. However, concerns about his playmaking, defense and durability have raised questions about whether he’s worth a significant long-term commitment.
NBA salary cap expert Yossi Gozlan gave his projection for Thomas’ next deal on the Bleav in Nets podcast.
“I mean, look, Cam Johnson got four years, $90 million. [Nic] Claxton got four years, $100 million. I would guess something slightly higher than that. Maybe four years, $105 million or like five years, $130 million,” Gozlan said. “And that might be a little on the higher end, but just based on what they gave those guys, I would guess it’s something similar in that range.”
“I would guess 4-years, $105M or 5-years, $130M… If he’s still progressing and making under $30M per year as the cap goes up, that’s gonna be a very good deal.”@YossiGozlan predicts Cam Thomas’ next contract with the Nets pic.twitter.com/fBZqpbOMAT
— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) March 21, 2025
The Nets will hold significant leverage in negotiations with Thomas. They are the only team projected to have significant cap space, with $50 million-$65 million available. Opposing teams seeking to sign Thomas to an offer sheet will be limited to the non-taxpayer mid-level exception ($14.1 million).
Projecting Cam Thomas’ next contract with Nets
Signing Cam Thomas to a long-term deal, as Gozlan proposes, would allow Brooklyn to lock him in at a cost-controlled annual salary as the cap rises. League executives expect the salary cap to rise 10 percent for several years due to the NBA’s $76 billion media rights deal. Given their rebuild timeline and league-leading cap space, the Nets could benefit by frontloading Thomas’ deal, as they recently did with Nic Claxton.
A Thomas contract following Claxton’s structure, adjusted for the rising salary cap, would be as follows:
- 2025-26: $30.3 million (19.6 percent of cap)
- 2026-27: $27.9 million (16.39 percent of cap)
- 2027-28: $25.5 million (13.61 percent of cap)
- 2028-29: $23.0 million (11.19 percent of cap)
- Total: Four years, $106.7 million
The structure would pay Thomas between 11 and 14 percent of the salary cap in the contract’s final two years, on par with the league’s high-end role players.
“If he’s still progressing just a little bit, as long as there’s no decline, if he’s making under $30 million per year as the cap goes up, that’s going to be a very good deal,” Gozlan said of the benefits of a long-term contract.
However, a four-year deal at over $25 million AAV is on the higher end of Thomas’ projections, as Gozlan noted. Spotrac’s Keith Smith offered a far more modest prediction — three years, $45 million — in his 2025 restricted free agency preview.
“Thomas can score. He’s a better playmaker than most realize. The Nets aren’t in a position to let young talent walk out the door, but Brooklyn can’t start overpaying guys yet either,” Smith said. “Unless there’s a team that falls in love and wants to work a sign-and-trade deal for Thomas, expect Brooklyn to get him back on a solid value contract. Think what Coby White signed for, plus a bit to represent the new cap environment. From there, it’s up to Thomas to outplay the deal, much like White has.”
Thomas’ representation could push for a short-term agreement, allowing him to re-enter free agency in the near future. Such a deal would allow the Nets to maintain long-term flexibility while adding a tradable mid-sized salary to their books if they want to pivot and trade for a star. However, it’s unlikely Thomas would agree to a $15 million annual salary in such a scenario, given his feelings about his production since cracking Brooklyn’s rotation.
“When I got major minutes, I feel like I’ve been one of the best guards in the league at my position,” Thomas said after his season-ending hamstring injury. “When I do have the minutes in a featured role, the sky’s the limit for me. We’ve seen that these past two years.”
Several league sources told ClutchPoints they expect Thomas’ market to fall between $18 million and $24 million annually. The length of the former first-round pick’s deal could be a telling sign regarding Brooklyn’s rebuild plans.
The post Nets rumors: NBA salary cap experts make Cam Thomas contract predictions appeared first on ClutchPoints.
