Cam Thomas and Jonathan Kuminga are two players who are both restricted free agents currently involved in negotiations with their respective teams.
These young stars have shown they have what it takes to lead their franchises, but have not been given the desired rookie extensions.
Cam Thomas‘ talks with the Brooklyn Nets have broken down as he is not willing to accept the contract offer from the team.
Jonathan Kuminga has been offered a two-year $45 million contract, but the team option on the final year is not something he is willing to agree to, which has led to his talks stalling with the Golden State Warriors.
Both of these players have proven their talent in the league and that is one of the reasons their teams have not let them walk yet, but if no agreement is reached, Thomas and Kuminga could take the qualifying offer route.
A qualifying offer is a one-year contract from the team; in Thomas’ case the Nets and in Kuminga’s case the Warriors.
The value of the contract will be according to the Collective Bargaining Agreement and will vary for both players.
Under this contract, Thomas and Kuminga can veto any trade during the season. At the end of the contract, they will be unrestricted free agents, which means the Nets and Warriors will have no control over their landing spot.
According to Jake Fischer, Thomas is likely to take the $6 million qualifying offer from the Nets to enter unrestricted free agency next offseason, while Kuminga could also sign his $7.9 million offer extended by the Warriors.
They have a deadline until October 1 to sign the qualifying offer, which will give them control of their future.
Kuminga sent out a message on social media when he rejected the two-year deal offered by the Warriors. It suggested that he was ready to bet on himself and while anyone with natural abilities like Kuminga must do the same, the NBA can be unpredictable.
The same is the case with Thomas as injuries are part and parcel of the game. If they suffer any serious setbacks that keep them out of the game for an extended period, their unrestricted free agency bet could prove to be unwise.
Former Dallas Mavericks player Nerlens Noel rejected a massive four-year $70 million deal from the Mavs and signed a qualifying offer of $4.1 million to enter unrestricted free agency.
However, a serious injury prevented him from playing a lot of games in the 2017-18 season and he had to eventually sign a two-year $3.7 million contract with the OKC Thunder the following year.
Kuminga and Thomas have shown that they are willing to put in the work to back their belief. Both franchises will find it tough to replace the talent they have, but due to the CBA, teams have become really careful with their money and their reluctance in paying these young stars is another example of that.
