Why Resigning Cam Thomas is Good News for Brooklyn Nets' Rookie Class

With more than a month left until the NBA season, four restricted free agents still remained unsigned.

That list got a little shorter on Thursday, though, when the Nets and Cam Thomas agreed to a qualifying offer that is set to keep the 2021 first-round pick in Brooklyn for one more season. According to Shams Charania, Thomas signed a one-year deal worth $6 million.

Josh Giddey, Jonathan Kuminga and Quentin Grimes are the other restricted free agents who remain unsigned.

Restricted free agent Cam Thomas is signing a one-year, $6 million qualifying offer to return to the Brooklyn Nets, sources tell ESPN. Sides were unable to reach a new deal so the QO gives Thomas a full no-trade clause and 2026 unrestricted free agency with 10+ cap space teams. pic.twitter.com/GJCp29rCp1
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 4, 2025

This move may not keep the 23-year-old around for the long haul, but will at least give the Nets' rookie class an opportunity to play with a talented scorer for at least one season.

In 2024-25, Thomas averaged 24 points, 3.8 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game while shooting 43.8% from the field and 34.9% from 3-point range. In 2025-26, though, the former LSU standout should have a few more table setters around him after Brooklyn's 2025 draft haul.

The group added Egor Demin, Nolan Traore, Danny Wolf and Ben Saraf in the first round, who all have the potential to be solid playmakers at the next level. Wolf and Demin showed the ability to be good passers in college, while Traore and Saraf showcased their talents overseas.

The Nets also drafted Drake Powell in the first round, but Powell's skill set is different from Demin, Traore and Wolf. Saraf is a decent passer, but unlike Demin, Wolf and Traore, the Israeli guard's feel and playmaking acumen aren't the top skills in his arsenal.

Demin was selected with the No. 8 pick in the draft after one year at BYU. The Moscow, Russia, product averaged 10.6 points and 5.5 assists as a freshman with the Cougars before measuring 6-foot-8 and a quarter of an inch without shoes at the NBA Combine.

Wolf, a big man who measured at 6-foot-10 and half an inch without shoes while weghing 251 pounds amd boasting a 7-foot-2 and a quarter of an inch wingspan, is also an impressive passer. The former Yale star averaged 3.6 assists per game from the forward position in his lone season at Michigan.

Traore, a much more traditional guard, measured 6-foot-3 at the combine, but showed good feel for the game overseas and in the summer league. Playing in France's professional basketball league last season, the 19-year-old averaged 5.1 assists per game.

With three talented playmakers on the roster, the Nets need a reliable scorer to finish plays for the rookies Brooklyn brought in over the summer.

The team may not be in postseason contention this year, but having the Nets' rookie class play alongside a veteran whose skills compliment their own should help the group improve in the long run.

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