Cam Thomas Among Young Players Hit Hard by Brutal RFA Market in Cap-Strapped Summer

In any other average NBA offseason, by July 6, typically at least one franchise would've tried their luck at luring away a marquee restricted free agent—or so it seems. The consensus feeling from the online basketball community is that there's been a unique lack of traction on the restricted free agency front, but 2025 hasn't strayed far from what is usual.

Since the turn of the decade, only two players have signed with outside teams before having their original franchises match the deal they signed: Deandre Ayton (signed with the Indiana Pacers in 2022) and Paul Reed (signed with the Utah Jazz in 2023).

That trend doesn't bode well for a talented young group this year, consisting of Brooklyn Nets guard Cam Thomas, Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga, Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey and Philadelphia 76ers guard Quentin Grimes.

All four players have high ceilings, but a lack of cap space around the league has left each unsigned now a week into free agency. However, Thomas, Kuminga, Giddey and Grimes aren't just available—they essentially don't have a market.

Kuminga has probably generated the most outside interest of the bunch, but even that reality hasn't presented him with the $30 million annual contract he's seeking.

In the end, all players will likely end up back with the organizations they were part of last season, but the reality of the situation is: restricted free agents aren't highly coveted as they once were.

The new CBA, agreed to by the NBA and NBPA on April 1 of 2023, introduced the now-feared second apron a year later. With this installment, league executives were forced to become far more savvy in their deals, which seems to have eliminated chasing young restricted free agents altogether.

Skill or fit isn't the issue here. Thomas, Kuminga, Giddey and Grimes all have the ability to be difference-makers on contenders, but the money simply isn't available for them to get the contracts they deserve.

Sign-and-trades could be an avenue teams explore—specifically in Kuminga's case—but as of now, it seems highly likely each player will stay with their current squads as the restricted free agency market remains cold.