Latest news with #Non-TaxpayerMid-LevelException
USA Today
5 days ago
- Business
- USA Today
Nets receive C- from ESPN for 2025 NBA offseason moves
The Brooklyn Nets have been making some moves throughout the 2025 NBA offseason as they are looking to improve from a 26-56 record following the 2024-25 campaign. Two of the biggest moves that Brooklyn made this summer was trading for forward Michael Porter Jr. and trading for forward Terance Mann and the 22nd overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft that became forward Drake Powell. Some pundits didn't like the Nets' offseason. "Given the Nets' commanding position as the only team with more than $30 million in cap space this summer, their return has been underwhelming," ESPN's Kevin Pelton wrote when explaining his grade for Brooklyn's offseason moves. Pelton gave the Nets a C- grade for the moves that they made and it seems that most around the league were not impressed by Brooklyn trading for Porter. "Brooklyn did net a 2032 unprotected first-rounder from Denver and can hope to rehabilitate Michael Porter Jr.'s value," Pelton continued. "The Nets also landed the No. 22 pick with Terance Mann prior to the draft, but keeping all five first-round picks and using them largely on players whose games don't seem complementary was confusing. Brooklyn still can create $20-plus million in cap space, and we'll see whether additional deals materialize before training camp." Pelton makes some valid criticisms of the Nets' offseason, especially when it comes to how much cap space they had during a summer in which few teams had enough money to offer free-agents more than the Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception (NTMLE), valued at $14.1 million for the 2025-26 season. Brooklyn did not use their cap space to go after available talent, but rather rented out their cap space to other teams in exchange for players and/or draft picks. For example, the Nets gave up $15.5 million to take on Mann along with the 22nd overall pick and essentially used about $17 million worth of space to take on Porter, including having to part ways with forward Cam Johnson, who was coming off a career year. With that being said, Porter and Mann are two players who can help the Nets next season on the floor and getting two first-round picks along the way could be part of the plan for general manager Sean Marks and the front office.
USA Today
30-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Report: Nets' Cam Thomas' value across the NBA is all over the place
Brooklyn Nets guard Cam Thomas is looking for his first big payday in the NBA after spending the past four seasons in the NBA looking to build up his name. Brooklyn and Thomas' camp have been operating carefully through the various negotiations in Thomas' restricted free-agency, but it seems that his value in the eyes of the overall market vary wildly at this point in time. The Athletic's Fred Katz put together an article in which he tried to determine Thomas' value in free-agency by surveying 16 members of NBA front-offices (none from the Nets) to get an idea of what contract the former LSU Tiger is most likely to get. NBA insider Jake Fischer recently reported that Brooklyn has offered Thomas no more than two years at the Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception ($14.1 million). "The one consistency in responses for the 23-year-old Thomas was short-term contracts," Katz wrote. "For instance, compare his results to those of (Philadelphia 76ers guard Quentin) Grimes. People in this poll were more willing to give Thomas a higher average annual value ($16.7 million for Thomas compared to $14.7 million for Grimes), but they were more comfortable handing Grimes total money ($47.7 million guaranteed for Grimes compared to $42.7 million guaranteed for Thomas). Thomas, 23, is coming off his best season in the NBA after 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 during the 2024-25 campaign. While Thomas had his most impressive statistical season since coming into the league as the 27th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, he did so in just 25 games played as he dealt with a troublesome left hamstring for most of the season. As of this writing, there appears to be a huge gap between what Thomas wants, somewhere around $30 million per season, and what the Nets are willing pay him, around $14 million per year. Fischer did note during his livestream on Bleacher Report that Thomas seems like the most likely restricted free-agent to play next season on the qualifying offer, amounting to $5.99 million for Thomas. However, there's a good reason for Thomas to decide against that. One executive suggested, per Katz, that a likely scenario could be that the Nets give Thomas a front-loaded short-term deal that allows Brooklyn to maintain salary-cap flexibility while giving Thomas more options. "It keeps the Nets' (cap space) alive for next year, gives Cam the money he wants per year in the short term, and he doesn't lose Bird rights if he's traded (like he would if he took the qualifying offer)," the executive said, according to Katz.
USA Today
10-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
What is the status of Nets RFA Cam Thomas heading into summer league?
The Brooklyn Nets officially made guard Cam Thomas a restricted free-agent on June 29 and it seemed that the ultimate goal was to bring him back to the Nets. However, as Brooklyn heads into its first game of the Las Vegas Summer League on Thursday, Thomas remains unsigned without much noise surrounding the negotiations and there could be a reason why. "I would say Cam Thomas wants to be paid and apparently, the Nets aren't too eager to pay him. I think that's probably the simplified view of that whole situation," ESPN's Tim MacMahon said during his appearance on "The Brooklyn Boys" podcast with Connor Long. Thomas is one of four restricted free-agents that seem to not have much of a market with the way that they remain unsigned by their respective teams. "He's a pretty polarizing player around the league," MacMahon continued. "The guy obviously can score like he can get buckets. Can he contribute to winning? I think is a big question around the league. My guess is that he is back in Brooklyn when next season starts, probably not on a long-term deal. I think there might be kind of a compromise between the parties where he's back and it's more of a short-term situation to allow him to get out into the unrestricted free-agency market at some point in the not-too-distant future." One of the more interesting storylines to watch for when it comes to the Nets and Thomas is how much he can command from Brooklyn given that the Nets were the only team that could offer more than the Non-Taxpayer Mid-Level Exception (NTMLE) heading into free-agency. The NTMLE is slated to be $14,104,000 million for the 2025-26 season so while Thomas would get a substantial raise, it wouldn't be what he and others expected him to get. One subject that MacMahon hit on is the fact that Thomas' value around the league seems to change depending on whose being asked for their opinion of him. "If you guys give Cam Thomas more than $10 million a year, entire off-season goes from being amazing to (expletive)," NetsDaily reported on Wednesday as how the opinion of Brooklyn's offseason would shift, according to NetsDaily's league source. Thomas seems to have hit free-agency at an unlucky time as most teams did not free up the cap space necessary to pay someone of his elk to a contract befitting of his talent, a deal around $20 million per year according to the general consensus during the season. Time will tell of Thomas ends up getting a contract of that magnitude, but if he doesn't, his stay with the Nets could be short-lived as he's entering his prime.
