a day ago
How Nets can increase cap space if Cam Thomas accepts his QO
The Brooklyn Nets and guard Cam Thomas have not exactly been in a rush to continue their partnership after Thomas became a restricted free-agent this summer. For a variety of reasons, Thomas remains unsigned and it seems like he will have a tough decision to make soon enough. Brooklyn could potentially benefit if Thomas decides to accept his $5.99 million qualifying offer (QO).
"Thomas and the Nets are reportedly very far apart in negotiations. This has led to speculation that he may accept his qualifying offer," NBA cap expert Yossi Gozlan wrote of Thomas and the Nets, via his Third Apron Substack. Gozlan was referring to the notion that Thomas could accept his QO this season in order to be an unrestricted free-agent next offseason, allowing him to sign with whatever team he chooses.
"If he accepts it, and the Nets re-sign (center Day'Ron) Sharpe and (forward Ziaire) Williams with cap space, they would have roughly $22 million in remaining space," Gozlan continued. "This would mean the Nets need to increase their payroll to get within the $15.46 million maximum before the season begins. They would probably need to increase it by roughly $11-12 million when factoring in cutting some of their non-guaranteed players to get within the 15-player roster maximum."
As of this writing, the Nets have $19.9 million left in cap space and that is factoring 18 players on the roster while excluding players like forward Ricky Council IV and forward Fanbo Zeng. More to the point, Brooklyn's cap space also includes the $12.1 million cap hold on Thomas so if he were to sign his QO, that should open up close to $6 million in space.
As Gozlan noted, the amount of cap space the Nets would have could change depending on how they re-sign Sharpe and Williams which they have until September 15 to make a decision on. Either way, Thomas has a tough decision to make given how his offseason negotiations with Brooklyn have progressed, but if he were to sign his qualifying offer, the Nets could benefit from it by being careful with their cap sheet.
