Nets backcourt star: I hope to maintain autonomy, signing a qualification offer is the right decision

The Brooklyn Nets held a media conference for the new season. Cam Thomas, a backcourt star who signed a qualification offer with the team this summer, was interviewed by reporters at the press conference. He was also asked in the interview why he chose to accept qualification offer instead of accepting the contract provided by the Nets.

In response, Thomas said: I hope to be able to control the direction of my career. As a player, this is your right to be autonomy. The next thing I have to do is focus on finishing this season first and strive to achieve my best performance. As for future things, just let it go. In any case, it was a great honor for me to be able to return to the familiar court to perform for the fans and teams. Thomas continued: I think choosing a qualification quote is more beneficial than disadvantages for my career. As a player, you will definitely hope to maintain your own decision-making rights in this regard for as long as possible, and you will definitely hope to take your destiny into your own hands. This is the core consideration for my acceptance of qualification quotations. I believe I made the right decision.

Thomas was born in October 2001 and is 23 years old, 191cm tall and weighs 95kg. He is a backcourt player from Louisiana State University selected the 27th pick in the first round of the 2021 NBA Draft. In the NBA regular season last season, Thomas played 25 games in total due to injury, averaging 31.2 minutes per game, averaging 24 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 0.6 steals and 0.1 blocks, and 2.5 turnovers and 1.8 fouls. His shooting percentage was 43.8%, three-point shooting percentage was 34.9%, and his free throw shooting percentage was 88.1%.

This summer, after a long negotiation between Thomas and the Nets, the two sides were unable to reach an agreement. Thomas chose to sign a qualification offer that lasts a year, with a total amount of less than $6 million. The Nets have provided Thomas with two renewal plans. The first plan is a two-year contract with a total amount of $30 million, of which the second year of the contract is the team option. The second option is a one-year contract with a base salary of $9.5 million and some incentive clauses that can reach up to $11 million, but Thomas needs to give up the deal veto. Thomas is very dissatisfied with both ways to renew his contract. He feels that he should get a richer offer, or that the Nets should not add the team option to a two-year contract. In the end, Thomas and the team signed this qualification offer to the death. Judging from Thomas' attitude in the interview, he is still worried about this matter, so we are also curious about what kind of performance he can perform in the new season?