Overview

• Thomas’s camp is targeting a $32–35 million annual salary by referencing recent top-guard contracts, while any bidder is capped at the $14.1 million non-taxpayer mid-level exception
• Brooklyn’s current proposal stands at a two-year, $28 million deal with a second-year team option
• NBA salary-cap rules limit rival offers to the mid-level exception, reducing Thomas’s leverage and giving the Nets little reason to increase their bid
• Declining the offer would let Thomas sign a $6 million qualifying offer and become an unrestricted free agent next summer, though he would hold trade-veto rights
• His defensive struggles, low playmaking numbers and a season limited to 25 games by hamstring strains clash with Brooklyn’s shift toward versatile, positionless basketball