Alright, alright, I get it ... it's so easy to just criticize someone for saying something outlandish. But I don’t think I’m going to come down hard on Cam Thomas for what he said. More than anything, I want to understand where he’s coming from.
Thomas is due for a new contract; now, whether he achieves his desired number with his current Brooklyn Nets squad or elsewhere remains the grand question at hand. The issue with Thomas is that his market value is fairly hazy, given his polarizing playstyle. He is known as a very ball-dominant, high-volume scorer, but on the flip side, Thomas is an extremely subpar defender, has little to no playmaking skills, and his overall basketball IQ is very suspect.
Sure, in his best showings (like when he went on an absurd scoring stretch in February 2023), he looked like a young scoring star in the making, but a smart basketball fan knows that the game is more than just that.
Now, according to an article by Brooklyn Nets reporter Brian Lewis of the New York Post, it appears that some folks in the Thomas camp are being led to believe his value is a bit overblown ... and the Raptors apparently have a role in this sentiment.
Cam Thomas wants to be paid like Raptors' Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett
Here's the quote from the Lewis piece dated July 18, 2025:
"A source familiar with Thomas’ thinking said he does not consider himself inferior to Immanuel Quickley ($32.5 million this upcoming season), Tyler Herro ($31 million) or RJ Barrett ($27.7 million)."Brian Lewis of New York Post
I completely understand when a player who is due for a new contract looks to others in the league who sort of match his designated tier, and the guys listed in the excerpt above are certainly on that Thomas level of fringe All-Star caliber talent. And I certainly have my reservations about the questionable Immanuel Quickley situation (as do others in NBA discussion circles), but let's be real here — I think a ton of Raptors fans can't help but smirk at how Thomas' team is using two of their guys to warrant an overpay.
I am by no means justifying the Quickley contract; I think it will largely be the driving force behind low-tier players forcing their way into overpays. But even with my inclination to defend the Raptors aside, I think Quickley is way better a playmaker than Thomas, and even Quickley's rudimentary defense is lightyears ahead of Thomas.
RJ Barrett, to me, is not even a question. Say what you want about his ability to be a winning player and the room for improvement as a more stout defender, but I think Barrett can easily take on a long-term 3-and-D role in the league and has shown last year that he possesses a versatile set of skills (scoring, rebounding, and playmaking). Note that Barrett was once part of a Knicks squad that was in the playoff mix, so it's not like the "Maple Mamba" has been on negative teams his whole career ... even if New York was ready to move on from him.
Look, I respect the hustle. Go get you that bag if you can, Cam Thomas. But it's a foolish strategy in the NBA to just point to other overpaid (open to interpretation) players and expect you can sway a team to do the same for you.