Brooklyn Nets extend QO to Cam Thomas, not Day’Ron Sharpe or Ziaire Williams

Something up? Sure looks that way.

This story is likely to be updated!

As the clock ticked toward 6:00 p.m. ET Sunday, the official start of free agency, the Brooklyn Nets made big decisions on their three restricted free agents, extending a qualifying offer to Cam Thomas but not to Day’Ron Sharpe or Ziaire Williams, making the two unrestricted free agents, free to talk with any other team.

But from everything we have heard from inside and outside the the front office, Brooklyn intends to re-sign both Sharpe and Williams using cap space or Bird Rights while simultaneously working some other deal yet to be revealed.

As one league source reported, “We hope to sign both. Not extending QO’s gives Nets more flexibility heading into free agency.” The start of free agency permits teams to negotiate with free agents, tender offer sheets, etc. It seems almost certain that the Nets have spoken to representation for the three players, all of whom have publicly an expressed a desire to return.

Mike Scotto was first with the news …

The big reason to renounce the capholds on the two 23-year-olds is simple as Yossi Gozlan pointed out. If they hadn’t, Sharpe’s $11.9 million caphold and Williams $18.1 million caphold would’ve counted against the salary cap, removing $14 million from the cap, thus decreasing the Nets ability to work larger deals like salary dumps in return for future picks, particularly in 2026. The Nets have four picks, but only one, their own, in the first round.

They could also use the additional cap space to tender an offer sheet to a player like like. Santi Aldama of the Memphis Grizzlies, rumored to be a Nets target. Once that business, whatever it is, gets done, the Nets can return to the bargaining table to work out deals with Thomas, Sharpe and Williams.

They can also hold off on negotiating a new contract with Cam Thomas. By tendering him a qualifying offer of $12.0 million, the Nets retained the right to match any deal the 23-year-old gets from another team. Since virtually no team other than Brooklyn has any cap space, that’s unlikely.

Sean Marks & co. have already worked one salary dump this week. They used some of their cap space to facilitate Tuesday night’s three-team deal with the Atlanta Hawks and Boston Celtics. The Nets took on Terance Mann’s three-year, $47 million contract and in return received the Hawks No. 22 pick which became Drake Powell … without giving up anything appreciable. Final details on that deal will become available when it’s made official on July 6.

Indeed, even after that move, the Nets are estimated to still have between $45 and $52 million, as Gozlan, Bobby Marks and Brian Lewis all reported.

When might we hear something? Anytime, basically.

• Nets make decision on qualifying offer for Cam Thomas, two others – Brian Lewis – New York Post
• Nets send Cam Thomas to RFA, let 2 contributors hit open market – Erik Slater – Clutch Points