Nets rumors: NBA salary cap experts make Cam Thomas contract predictions
03/31/2025 04:30 PM
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 at the end of his rookie contract. 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 projected 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 NBA’s only team projected to have significant cap space this summer, 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 into a cost-controlled 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.
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