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[Brooklyn Nets]

Brooklyn Nets lose ugly - even by Vegas standards - Summer League opener to OKC Thunder, 90-81

Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images

It was not the rookies who stole the show, but Drew Timme and Tosan Evbuomwan.

Midway through the third quarter of the Brooklyn Nets’ Las Vegas Summer League opener, Erik Reynolds II picked up a jump ball, turned, and scored a wide open layup for the Nets.

Just one problem: He’s on the Oklahoma City Thunder...

lmfao Erik Reynolds scores on the wrong basket, with Jordi on the broadcast! Holy summer league

"We gotta say thanks" pic.twitter.com/2VA0KK3amE

— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) July 10, 2025​

Welcome to Summer League, folks.

Though the Brooklyn Nets are coming off their most consequential NBA Draft in well over a decade, having made five first-round picks, it’s hard to draw any solid conclusions from a week or two in Vegas. Much less one game in which players are scoring the ball on the wrong basket and throwing it off their brand-new teammates’ faces...

alright this is a little on the nose pic.twitter.com/BF2R6jTANt

— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) July 10, 2025​

That was one of the best plays Danny Wolf made all game, to be fair. Just a shame Timme wasn’t looking. Wolf did not make a field goal, scoring four points on free-throws and turning it over four times. It was rough.

As for Egor Dëmin, he largely did cardio in this one, scoring 8/4/0 in 23 minutes. But hey, his two field goals were two deep threes, as he shot 2-of-5 from range...

Egor Dëmin deep catch-and-shoot, schedule the parade pic.twitter.com/eBDhaQEIp0

— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) July 10, 2025​

Ben Saraf played 16 minutes off the bench and had a nice and-1 take to the rim, finishing with 3/1/2. The other 15:50 he played was less than memorable, though much of that was the whistle-fest that depressed the energy of Thomas & Mack Center to a murmur.

With Drake Powell missing Summer League due to knee tendinopathy, the most promising rookie on Thursday afternoon was Nolan Traoré, Brooklyn’s #19 pick. Over 25 minutes, he put up 13/3/3, including one catch-and-shoot three and a bunch of blinding takes into the paint. He indeed blends ball-handling and speed at a level that seems NBA-caliber...

Nolan Traore with a smooth drive and finish for his first bucket as a Net. pic.twitter.com/hwbVxqj4XU

— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) July 10, 2025​

But for Nets fans expecting Thursday’s contest to be the opening salvo to a fresh-faced era, they got a whole lot of Drew Timme, Tyson Etienne, and Tosan Evbuomwan instead.

All three appeared for both Long Island and Brooklyn last season, and their seniority status on this Summer League roster was evident. Evbuomwan went to work often in the first half, trying to take defenders off the dribble and in the post, though in a pass-first, offensively challenged lineup, he didn’t have a ton of choices.

By the end of the night, with the Nets consistently trailing by a few possessions, they resorted to Drew Timme, who’s playing on a non-guaranteed contract, in hopes of a win. The soon-to-be 25-year-old led the squad with 30 minutes, and he scored 23 points on 10-of-13 shooting, turning most late-game possessions into post-work. Hey, it really was Brooklyn’s best chance.

It wasn't enough, though. The Nets put together an 11-0 run in the third quarter, but outside of that, OKC controlled the game.

But you don’t care about the final score, and neither do I. TJ Bamba, Bronx native shot 0-of-7, but the other UDFA Brooklyn brought to Vegas, Grant Nelson, scored 5 points in 14 minutes, including a 3-pointer and this big dunk...

Grant Nelson drive and HEYYY pic.twitter.com/zGiZkjxdTn

— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) July 10, 2025​

After the game, Demin and SL coach Steve Hetzel spoke to the media on hand. Most interestingly, Demin said he shouldn’t have called himself a point guard...

Egor Demin on his position in the NBA:

“I got a little too deep into calling myself a point guard. Now, I prefer to say I’m a playmaker... Nowadays... there are playmakers on the court who are not point guards, and that’s where I see myself. I want to be all over the court.” pic.twitter.com/XYVEDARR62

— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) July 11, 2025​

And after ESPN2 pronounced his name the Russian way all game, Demin was (again) asked how we should all say his five-letter (with umlaut) moniker....

Egor Demin clears up the confusion about how to correctly pronounce his name:

YAY-GOR DYOH-MIN

“That’s actually my fault, because I trapped everybody into a mistake. Because when I just got to America, I thought it would be too hard to pronounce." pic.twitter.com/END4UjHfN7

— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) July 11, 2025​

As for Hetzel, he was asked to explain how come so many point guards...

Steve Hetzel on whether the Nets' rookie ball-handlers can co-exist long-term:

“This is the way our roster is constructed. The league is now multiple ball-handlers, multiple attackers. If you look at the team that just won the championship, they’ve got Jalen Williams and Shai… pic.twitter.com/2FVti4H7JU

— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) July 11, 2025​

In another post-game note, Traore told media that he rolled his ankle in the first quarter but was able to play through it the rest of the way.

The Brooklyn Nets have much to work on for their next game, which will come after two days off. In order to get a win, or at least make the basketball more enjoyable, they’ll have to turn it over fewer than 21 times and commit fewer than 25 fouls.

In order to appease the fans, they’ll have to play the rookies more, or at least have them shoot more than the journeymen. I suspect this won’t be the last time I type that sentence.

Final Score: Oklahoma City Thunder 90, Brooklyn Nets 81

Next Up​

Photo by Stephen Gosling/NBAE via Getty Images

The Brooklyn Nets will take on the Washington Wizards in game two of the Las Vegas Summer League experience. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET on Sunday evening.

• Boxscore: Oklahoma City Thunder 90, Brooklyn Nets 81 - NBA
• Game Highlights: Oklahoma City Thunder 90, Brooklyn Nets 81 (Video) - NBA
• Four Nets first-round picks debut in summer league opener — here’s how they fared - Brian Lewis - New York Post

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/7/10...r-summer-league-90-81-egor-demin-nolan-traore

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

Nets Reacts: Brooklyn’s best offseason move thus far? Michael Porter Jr.? Day’Ron Sharpe?

Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

It’s a 1% difference here at NetsDaily! Thanks everyone who read and/or voted.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Brooklyn Nets fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

There’s still no news on Cam Thomas since we posted this poll on Wednesday. No news in general — It’s been all about the younger players at Summer League.

All said, Brooklyn’s made a few offseason moves, inevitably choosing the the route of asset acquisition while absorbing big contracts such as Michael Porter Jr. The reaction from national media hasn’t been reassuring, if not moot.

So, we asked you all which move is your favorite. It’s a close one!

Drum roll please...​

That’s a close race... 1% between MPJ and ultimately Drake Powell. Thanks to everyone who participated.

Check out FanDuel, the official sportsbook partner of SB Nation.

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/7/11...move-thus-far-michael-porter-jr-dayron-sharpe

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

Dariq Whitehead wanted to play in Las Vegas but Brooklyn Nets preferred he keep training

Dariq Whitehead was sitting courtside in street clothes the other night in Las Vegas, not on the court...

Dariq Whitehead and Noah Clowney were the second and fourth youngest players drafted in 2023, taken at No. 21 and 22. Now, they’re in their third season and won’t turn 21 till later this summer. In fact, Clowney’s 21st birthday is Monday.

How young are they? Of the 59 players taken in the Draft on June 26 and 27 this year, the Brooklyn Nets duo is still younger than 29 of those selected. Among those selected who are older: Walter Clayton Jr. taken by the Utah Jazz who’s 22.3 years old; Nique Clifford of the Sacramento Kings at 23.4; Yanic Konan Niederhauser of the Los Angeles Clippers at 22.3 and their new teammate, Danny Wolf. Second rounder Rasheer Fleming just turned 21 Thursday.

So why isn’t Whitehead in particular not on the court in Las Vegas with the rest of the Nets Summer League team. He has been on the sidelines with other Nets players cheering on Brooklyn’s entry in the Vegas tourney. Not to belabor the point but of the 16 players he watched, only four are younger than him. He didn’t play his rookie year and although he played last year, his numbers were dreadful was coming off surgery. And third year players don’t generally play in the Summer.

All that said, Whitehead told Brian Lewis that the decision was made for him after his agents at Excel Sports and Sean Marks spoke. In an effort to get him back to 100% and ready to go in October, the Nets decided to hold him out or more specifically keep him back in Brooklyn where the performance team continues to work with him.

The 6’6” wing split time last season between the Brooklyn and Long Island Nets, averaging 5.7 points on 41/45/60 shooting splits in 20 games with the big club. He said he was planning on playing but the Nets wanted to act cautiously.

“Absolutely, me coming to play, obviously at the end of last season I was getting ready to prepare for summer league,” Whitehead said. “And then with the way I finished last season, it was just something that I guess my agent talked to Sean about and they were [thinking] more so get my body ready and prepare for training camp and next season.”

Indeed at the end of last season, the Newark native noted that this will be the first summer since he left Montverde Academy for Duke that he won’t be recovering or rehabbing,

“I haven’t had a summer yet since high school where I can be able to work on my body, work on my game, and get stronger,” he told our Scott Mitchell at the end of the Long Island Nets season. So far, Whitehead’s explosiveness is not what it had been at Montverde when he was national player of the year in 2022 but he’s developed a strong 3-point game. It was the Nets’ belief that he could return to form that persuaded them to take him at No. 22. The consensus was that if he had not been injured, he would have been a top five selection.

For the record, Whitehead had two surgeries on his right foot in August 2022 just before he entered Duke and in June of 2023 just before the Draft. In January 2024, he had a third surgery again, this time on his left shin.

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/7/12...-but-brooklyn-nets-preferred-he-keep-training

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

Summer League: Brooklyn Nets at Washington Wizards, 8:00 PM ET

Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Brooklyn looks for its first win in Las Vegas.

Brooklyn’s first game in Las Vegas wasn’t a pretty one, even by Summer League standards. Out of the rookies, Nolan Traore was the biggest standout with 13 points in 25 minutes, using his explosiveness to beat defenders on his first step. Otherwise there isn’t much.

On to the next!

***

WHO: Brooklyn Nets at Washington Wizards​

WHEN: 8:00 PM ET​

WATCH: ESPN 2 or YES Network​

***

Pre-game read: Egor the Playmaker... Not PG

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/7/13...rooklyn-nets-at-washington-wizards-8-00-pm-et

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

Offseason acquisitions thrilled to join Brooklyn Nets

Michael Porter Jr., Terance Mann, and Day’Ron Sharpe are saying exactly what you’d expect

The Brooklyn Nets’ Las Vegas Summer League squad had plenty of support from the sidelines for their second contest...

Bunch of Nets courtside, starting with Jordi and his wife, down to Dariq, Jalen, Tyrese, Mann, etc. pic.twitter.com/0yRYlCJApW

— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) July 14, 2025​

In fact, every single member of the big league roster aside from Ziaire Williams and Cam Thomas, who remains unsigned, was sitting courtside on Sunday evening.

That includes both Terance Mann and Michael Porter Jr., the two newest Nets, acquired this summer in salary dumps. Each provided Brooklyn a first-round pick. While Mann and MPJ are considered negative assets based on where they fit in the dumps, they’re no less excited to be Nets. At least, that’s what they told media while the Summer League team was hooping.

“It’s been a whirlwind, you know, physicals and everything,” said Porter Jr. “But everybody’s been over the top taking care of me and just introducing me to how they work and everything. And it’s been great so far, you know, I already feel like I know these guys to an extent, and I’m excited to work with them.”

Taking the 2023 NBA champion at his word, it doesn’t seem like he’ll have a very stressful time fitting in with his new team: “I kind of flipped the script in my head pretty quick. Honestly, I’m not like a super anxious guy or anything like that. So on the plane when I found out, I was kind of just like, ‘well, I’m traded,’ and took a nap afterwards.”

Of course, as a Denver Nugget, Porter Jr. worked with assistant coach Jordi Fernández for the first four years of his career. Aside from expressing an easygoing attitude about his new address, he professed excitement to play for a coach he knows so well: “It’s been great. I’m excited to be back with Jordi. I know he has these guys playing hard, and he’s implemented a lot of similar things from Denver, so I don’t feel like it’s a huge shift from some of the things I’m familiar with. So I kind of saw that in practice today a little bit, and I think it’ll be an easy transition for me with the principles. And yeah, he’s a great guy and a great coach, so it’ll be a great fit.”

Porter Jr. may also be excited to have a more featured role in the Brooklyn Nets’ offense. He recognized that he joined a championship contender with perhaps the best player in basketball in Nikola Jokić, and felt he sacrificed some opportunities for the betterment of the Nuggets: “ I just think for me, you know, I averaged 21 one year. I think last year, I was around 18 as the third option. I just feel like, you know — I just feel like I have more in my tank still. I don’t feel like I’ve reached my peak, and I’m excited to grow my game, expand my game, explore my game, and see what I could do.”

Beyond his scoring, MPJ also grabbed 7.0 boards, handed out 2.1 assists and played in all but five games in the regular season and all 12 post-season games despite a separated shoulder that required pain-killers every other day.

Will Nets fans enjoy Porter Jr. isolating into tough jumpers in the 2025-26 season? Will he get the opportunity to, if that’s what he’s hinting at? These are questions for another day; Summer League is all about the brighter side of life...

Nets guys went nuts for that Timme dunk pic.twitter.com/e93yVowzce

— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) July 14, 2025​

For example. Terance Mann is back in Brooklyn, the borough he lived in for the first 11 years of his life, while his mother was a basketball coach at LIU, just down the street from his new home arena. (The Blackbirds played at the Brooklyn Paramount Theater back then, now part of BSE Global.)

“it’s just crazy to think about, I grew up around there,” he said on Sunday. “I remember being little, my mom was a coach at LIU Brooklyn. I used to walk around the area before Barclays was even built. I used to be around there, walking around, always asking like, ‘what are they building here?’ My mom’s like, ‘I think Jay-Z is bringing the Nets from New Jersey.’ That was the talk in Brooklyn at the time.”

And Mann isn’t shying away from a potentially uncomfortable fact: At 28 years old, he’s the oldest player on the roster. According to the Brooklyn native, that comes with a certain responsibility: “I think just lead as best I can. You know, I think that’s really one of the main focuses I’m going to try and take on with this group. And then, you know, on the court stuff, whatever coach wants me to do, I’m going to do. And I’ve always been that type of player.”

Just maybe, the Brooklyn Nets will have the right environment for their five first-round picks to walk into in the fall. Day’Ron Sharpe, despite being just 23 years old, will have to create that environment for his newest teammates after agreeing to a two-year, $12 million deal to open free agency.

And while he was a restricted free agent, Brooklyn never presented him the qualifying offer, meaning he was, for a brief stretch, an unrestricted free agent. Sharpe could have gone anywhere in the league, or at least tried to. So, did he think about it?

He says no: “I just felt like it was best option for me, and I wanted to go with the best option. And that was the Brooklyn Nets.”

But come on Day’Ron, didn’t you at least think about it for that brief second in unrestricted free agency? “I don’t know, you know?”

Then he let out a sheepish laugh, and effectively ended the conversation: “I just decided what I decided.”

With the summer league team showing flashes, and the big-league squad tied — for the moment — for first-place in the 2025-26 regular season, the vibes are once again strong. Sharpe, Mann, and Porter Jr. are excited to be Brooklyn Nets, not an insignificant feat for a team that went 26-56 last season.

Will this energy lead to more wins, or to the development of the prized 2025 draft class? We won’t know until the leather hits the court, but Summer League optimism abounds.

• So much is changing — on and off the court — for Michael Porter Jr. after Nets trade - Brian Lewis - New York Post
• Day’Ron Sharpe gets Nets return he strongly wanted: ‘It’s always home’ - Brian Lewis - New York Post
• Nets’ Jordi Fernandez teases Michael Porter Jr.’s role ‘he’s never done before’ - Erik Slater - Clutch Points
• Michael Porter Jr. reveals hilarious reaction to Brooklyn trade - Yasmin Edañol - Clutch Points
• Nets’ Michael Porter Jr. discusses coming to Brooklyn as a veteran - Sharif Phillips-Keaton - USA Today

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/7/14...in-brooklyn-nets-michael-porter-dayron-sharpe

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

Nets Reacts Survey: How much should the Nets pay Cam Thomas?

Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images

Vote here!

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Brooklyn Nets fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

We’ve asked two poll questions in the past couple weeks:

• How do Nets fans feel about the five picks?
• Which move has been the best of the offseason?

The trade that brought Michael Porter Jr. and a 2032 unprotected first round pick is the verdict except for one thing: Cam Thomas is still a restricted free agency. In most years, a player of Thomas’ caliber would’ve received an offer by now and we’d know whether the Nets wanted to match.

We don’t know anything. Thomas hasn’t signed a deal which means he isn’t there to support the young guys in Las Vegas. He reportedly wants to be paid more than what the market has to offer, which isn’t much, particularly as GMs navigate the new CBA and find out just how much they can offer to a bucket-getter like Thomas.

Thomas averaged 22.5 points and 24.0 points per game over the past two seasons, respectively. There’s no doubt about his scoring ability. He’s said and done all the right things to block out any noise about immaturity. This is all more an indictment on the NBA’s free agent market than it is on the Nets themselves... but it would be foolish to NOT bring back your potential star guard who’s a proven bucket, at 23 years old, on a rebuilding Nets team.

Ain’t sh*t funny about that. ​

This article will be updated with results on Tuesday, July 15 or Wednesday, July 16.

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/7/14...he-nets-pay-cam-thomas-nba-offseason-brooklyn

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

Brooklyn Nets lose third straight to open Summer League, 97-93 against New York Knicks

Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images

Without Egor Dëmin and Danny Wolf in the lineup, the Drew Timme-led Brooklyn Nets suffered yet another loss.

The Brooklyn Nets were bitten by a funky Las Vegas Summer League schedule, playing one game over the first four days but concluding with a back-to-back.

That back-to-back began on Tuesday evening, a date with the New York Knicks. As a result, Egor Dëmin and Danny Wolf were resting — with Tosan Evbuomwan and Tyson Etienne out with minor ailments — giving fellow first-round picks Nolan Traoré and Ben Saraf a chance to shine, as well as UDFAs Grant Nelson and TJ Bamba.

Saraf had a strong start, scoring seven quick points and giving Nets fans the same sell his most ardent believers did before the draft. He is 6’7” with a real handle, and though the outside jumper is a major question, he can eat up space anyway...

cross -> spin -> decel is a fitting Saraf sell: pic.twitter.com/WZJeIT9hYs

— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) July 15, 2025​

He scored seven points in the first quarter, but finished with just ___. Mixed in with some impressive drives and a nice pass here and there...

cross -> spin -> decel is a fitting Saraf sell: pic.twitter.com/WZJeIT9hYs

— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) July 15, 2025​

...were a ton of missed shots, as the #26 overall pick shot just 4-of-11 from the field, turning down some open ones as well. Ben Saraf, nor any rookie, can change the trajectory of their career in Summer League, but his strengths and weaknesses seem very clear after his third and possibly final appearance in Vegas.

While Saraf played 30 minutes, Traoré played just 19. It mostly went like this...

Nolan wicked reject, misses the layup pic.twitter.com/OfGFQXGDN2

— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) July 15, 2025​

As in his first two Summer League games, Traoré is blindingly quick with a downhill handle, but where he’ll get his points from remains a mystery. He scored two points on 1-of-8 shooting, missing both of his 3-pointers and occasionally going too fast for his own good. It’ll be a while before the #19 overall pick has the strength and craft to consistently finish at the rim.

The guard who stood out on Tuesday was New York’s Tyler Kolek; the 2024 second-rounder hit five 3-pointers in the first half and controlled every positive possession for the Knicks, who also entered 0-2. Brooklyn’s offense could have kept up had they not shot 20% from deep, but alas, they lost steam early in the second half and never recovered.

Once again, they featured a whole hell of a lot of Drew Timme, who led the team with 24 points on 8-of-19 shooting...

Drew Timme powers his way inside for the And-1

BKN-NYK on ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/Ng4St7MR3j

— NBA (@NBA) July 15, 2025​

Some of his buckets were delectable, but at some point, watching the soon-to-be 25-year-old take over most every possession in the second half with Traoré sitting on the bench and Grant Nelson sitting in the corner got old.

Nelson, for his part, passed up too many 3-point opportunities and turned it over four times, but he shot 3-of-4 with three steals. In a word: fine. The most impressive Net was Caleb Daniels, the 26-year-old former Villanova guard who put up 16/9/2 in 27 minutes. At 26, he probably should be one of the best players on the floor in Summer League, but he was. Minor applause.

Alas, the Summer League Nets, missing four of their guys, dropped their third straight game to open play. They kinda just ran out of talent, not effort, with MarJon Beauchamp matching Kolek’s 25 points and the rest of the team making just enough 3-pointers.

Brooklyn has just one game left in Sin City before the true quiet of the offseason arrives. Maybe that’s not such a bad thing.

Final Score: New York Knicks 97, Brooklyn Nets 93

Egor, you may now see the Shot Doctor ​

Perhaps the most entertaining part of Tuesday’s broadcast was an in-depth breakdown of Egor Dëmin’s oft-discussed outside shot. Former NCAA coach and certified basketball lover Tom Crean broke down Dëmin’s jumper, and why he expects the Russian teenager to blossom into a prolific shooter...

this was great from Tom "Lethal Shooter" Crean

He explains why thumb placement and release point stand out as swing factors on Dëmin's jumper: https://t.co/IkosoYKPup pic.twitter.com/7TZ8TL0C0Q

— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) July 15, 2025​

Next Up​

Photo by Harry How/Getty Images

With Egor Dëmin and Danny Wolf likely back in the fold, the Brooklyn Nets wrap up their Las Vegas Summer League experience against the Orlando Magic on Wednesday evening. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET.

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/7/15/24468498/nets-vs-knicks-97-93-drew-timme-tyler-kolek

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

Jonquel Jones to return shortly after All-Star break

Photo by Brian Babineau /NBAE via Getty Images

The wait for the Liberty is almost over as Jonquel Jones is close to returning to action.

Photo by Brian Babineau /NBAE via Getty Images

Jonquel Jones has been out since June 19 due to a reaggravated right ankle injury. Since then, the reigning WNBA champions have gone 4-5 as they try to survive without the Finals MVP. Fortunately for them, they won’t have to wait much longer.

At Liberty practice on July 15, Jones took part in 5-on-5 activities with her teammates. Since the injury, she’s been gradually ramping up and working to get back to where she needs to be. She told the assembled media that she will be back for the Liberty’s first game after the break ... which is against the Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark on July 22 at Barclays. Made for TV.

“We’ve done a really good job keeping my conditioning levels really high,” she told us. “I’ve been lifting and conditioning almost every day. I played a lot of 5x5 yesterday and I feel really good. So, I’m really not worried about that part. I feel really good.”

Throughout her absence, Jones has been working hard in practice to get back up to speed and is with the team on the bench providing guidance and support to her teammates throughout the game.

Jonquel (looking cool as hell) tells Natasha Cloud, "When you coming down in transition, one-on-one, they can't guard your fucking ass, bro" pic.twitter.com/diJzGsWEkS

— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) July 5, 2025​

She joked she’s doing more stuff in the gym out injured than if she was playing, and I asked her about the importance of taking time to herself in the Bahamas during the All-Star break considering how hard she’s working to get back.

“I went back and forth between “did I want to stay here during the break, did I want to go home?” But yeah, I just felt it would be good to get a change of scenery, a change of location, get a little bit of beach time, a little bit family time, all that stuff just to get my mind right coming back into the season.”

When Jones returns, the Liberty will be complete. JJ is a matchup nightmare on both sides of the ball as she can guard just about every position on the court, is a great initiator of offense, helps tremendously on the boards, etc. Jonquel does everything at a high level and will allow the champs the flexibility to experiment even more with various combinations and lineups.

As JJ continues to work her way back, three of her teammates will be heading to Indianapolis for some special festivities.

A busy All-Star Weekend​

Photo by Soobum Im/NBAE via Getty Images

All-Star weekend is a time for festivity and celebration in the W. It’s the official midpoint of the season and all of the game’s best players will be under one roof. This year, the party’s heading to Indianapolis, but before the games can begin, Breanna Stewart has a big meeting to attend.

Stewie is a Vice President in the WNBPA and has been an active participant in the negotiations between the league and Players Association. We asked her about the state of the talks earlier this month, and she mentioned that the league has been slow walking them throughout the talks and has been non-responsive to their proposals. The league and PA will be meeting on July 19, and Stewart will be there along with taking part in community events and playing in the game itself on Saturday July 19. It’s a lot to juggle for a player who wears as many hats as Stewart does

“Honestly,” Stewart told me, “this All-Star I've said no a lot. “I've said no to a lot of things just because I want to be able to, at some point, have some time to kind of relax, be with my family, and actually celebrate the moment of being an All-Star.

But the CBA meeting is an important one. I'm happy it's on Thursday, honestly, because then it's like Friday, Saturday is when the madness starts a little bit. So everybody can get in, get to town, get settled, and let's go meet, and then let's enjoy the rest of the weekend after that.”

Stewie will get to watch two of her teammates shine on All-Star Friday. Natasha Cloud will make her WNBA Skills Challenge debut as she will compete against Skylar Diggins, Erica Wheeler, Courtney Williams, and last year’s Skills Challenge winner, Allisha Gray. Cloud has done a great job running point for the Liberty this season and is third in the W in assists per game. This invitation is a nice acknowledgement of the work she’s put in this season and throughout her nine year career. Gray will once again pull double duty, and in the main event of the evening, it will be an especially star studded affair.

The last time Sabrina Ionescu participated in a three point contest, it was magical

Sab will make her Three Point Contest return as she faces the 2024 Three Point Contest winner Allisha Gray, Kelsey Plum, Sonia Citron, and Caitlin Clark! The NBA offered Clark a chance to compete in their Three Point Contest during All-Star Weekend this past February, but she declined. She wanted her first three point contest to be with the WNBA, and it works out perfectly that she’ll be making her debut in front of the hometown audience in Indianapolis. Clark is one of the most magnetic players in all of professional sports, and this event promises to be a memorable one.

The party gets started at 8 00 pm Friday night on ESPN. Should be a good one!

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/7/15...loud-sabrina-ionescu-all-star-contest-weekend

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

Summer League: Orlando Magic at Brooklyn Nets, 7:30 PM ET

Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images

Final SL game.

It doesn’t seem like the Nets are distraught about its 0-3 record at Summer League. Nor should they be. But it hasn’t been a fun watch nor has it been reassuring for fans trying to get excited for the upcoming season.

97 days until the real thing begins. Until then...

WHO: Orlando Magic at Brooklyn Nets

WHEN: 7:30 PM ET

WATCH: NBA TV

***

Read more from NetsDaily...​

• Nets lose to Knicks in SL
• Drew Timme’s impressive showing
• Analysis on SCOUT Ep. 4
• Essay on Brooklyn’s Free Agency & Cam Thomas
• Liberty: Jonquel Jones injury update

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/7/16/24468743/summer-league-orlando-magic-at-brooklyn-nets-7-30-pm-et

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

Brooklyn Nets pick up first win of summer, led by picks Egor Demin, Danny Wolf

Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images

What looked to be a blowout turned into a close one down the stretch. Regardless, the Nets are walking away with their first win of the summer tonight.

The Brooklyn Nets haven’t had the greatest summer so far. Rather than trips to the beach, firecracker popsicles ... and efficient Vegas basketball, it’s been one with sweltering heat and humidity, bees in your red solo cup, limited offensive fluidity, and an 0-3 record.

Until tonight, when they and we got a much-needed switch up, as the Nets picked up their first win of the summer season, beating the Orlando Magic by a 94-90 score.

Hints that this game would be different from its predecessors were visible almost from the start. After a handful of rough possessions and traded trips to the free throw line, Egor Dëmin, who’s already been tagged as a guy who struggles to get to the rim, sure as hell got there to give Brooklyn its first lead of the ball game.

What a jam Egor Dëmin...no idea what Orlando defense was doing here. pic.twitter.com/NJBKCHn6NA

— Collin Helwig (@collinhelwig) July 16, 2025​

While Dëmin’s night was rather forgetful until a series of clutch possessions at the very end you’ll probably watch that video over and over again until October — the lead was something Brooklyn maintained all night.

After getting strong early contributions from 6’9” 25-year-old Tyrese Samuel — eight points during the game’s first 12 minutes — the Nets jetted out to a 35-23 lead. Samuel went on to finish with 10 points, three boards, and two steals. Former Laker Quincy Olivari, who made a habit of feeding him in the first half, chipped in a 16/6/6 game.

Nice connection here between Olivari and Samuel pic.twitter.com/5FhuFfc4G6

— Collin Helwig (@collinhelwig) July 16, 2025​

Highlights aside, it was Brooklyn’s defense that had them up early, holding a 49-41 advantage at half even after Orlando’s 11-2 run down the stretch of the second. Players looked more in-sync leveraging each other, blitzing and recovering in unison. Not having floor stretcher like Tyler Kolek, the Knicks’ point guard who rolled them on Tuesday, on the floor also paid dividends for Brooklyn. The Magic shot just 38.5% from the field between the first two frames.

In fact, Orlando looked like a Vegas tourist at the table almost all night, trying their luck from deep over and over again despite finding little to no success. By the time they found themselves on a heater, it was too late, as they posted 38/33 splits for the game.

The Nets had an opposite experience — or what the Magic would surely call opposite luck if you ask them.

Tough make from Quincy Olivari to end the first.

Dre Davis came up with a steal off the inbound and hit one too but it was waived off. pic.twitter.com/qtZLtH5ZJV

— Collin Helwig (@collinhelwig) July 17, 2025​

The second half saw the Nets open up on a 14-2 run that pushed them in front by 20 roughly halfway through the third period and visions of their first win danced in their heads. That lead didn’t budge until the final seconds of the quarter when Jaden Atkins hung for a tough finish nearly at the buzzer to make it a 69-51 lead for Brooklyn entering the fourth.

The Nets appeared start coasting a bit too early. The Magic went on an 19-3 run in the heart of the quarter, making it a 79-78 game with about four to play. Once the Magic started applying pressure, Brooklyn looked certain to fold, turning it over a handful of times and turning in a few rushed possessions. Two of the turnovers were back-to-back faux pas by the Nets No. 8 pick.

That was until Egor Dëmin drew three straight threes to give his team the breathing room it needed to close things out...

Here's all three of Egor Dëmin's game saving triples vs the Magic. pic.twitter.com/oGqk3v77G3

— Collin Helwig (@collinhelwig) July 17, 2025​

The winning moments seemed to take second place to what the clutch moments did to the narrative that the 6’9” BYU point guard can’t shoot. He finished the night with 14 points, five rebounds and shot 4-of-8 (after a 1-of-5 start) from deep. For the three games he played in Vegas, Demin is now 10-of-23 (43.5%) beyond the arc.

Post-game, coach Steve Hetzel addressed Demin’s progress in another area of the game.

“I would say it’s more how it’s playing out,” said Hetzel of his pick-and-roll game. “The physicality of these players is something that he’s going to have to get used to. We saw the same things in his days at BYU in his ability to play pick-and-roll, and he’ll get there. But right now, he’s got to focus on the weight room, getting stronger, being able to hold off his defender. Then he’ll be able to play in the play-and-roll.”

Demin was one of two first round picks who looked good. Danny Wolf, the 7-foot point center taken at No. 27, led Brooklyn with 18 points, adding six rebounds and four assists while shooting 6-of-12 overall, including 2-of-4 from deep.

Beyond the first rounders, Tosan Evbuomwan, who’s on a two-way deal, finished with 14 points, four rebounds and a game-high five steals. Quincy Olivari had 16 points, six rebounds and six assists.

At the end, the Nets missed a handful of free throws while the Magic cashed in on a few second chance points to keep things tight in the game’s waning minutes, but Brooklyn eventually got to the finish line and their first win of the tournament.

On the other side, it was Wendell Moore Jr. and Noah Penda leading the way for Orlando, who each added 17 points and pulled down six rebounds. Old friend Alondes Williams contributed 11 points, three rebounds, three assists, and picked away four steals.

Injury Updates​

Dëmin subbed out at one point in the second quarter and later returned wearing a shooting sleeve. The NBA TV broadcast noted it and said that he got some “medical attention” but didn’t elaborate any further. He seemed to play the rest of the game without any limitations.

Nolan Traoré and Ben Saraf did not play tonight, but that was expected with the Nets looking to avoid putting their guys in back-to-backs and each playing last night. The same goes for Drew Timme. Tyson Etienne was held out tonight with an illness.

Next Up​

Candice Ward-Imagn Images

Brooklyn’s fifth Summer League bout will be against the Philadelphia 76ers scheduled for a 6:00 p.m. ET Friday tipoff. For those of you who spent the February-to-April months making V.J. Edgecombe Nets photoshops, look away.

• Boxscore: Brooklyn Nets 94, Orlando Magic 90 - NBA
• Ben Saraf is a Nets work in progress with one issue standing out from the rest - Brian Lewis - New York Post

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/7/16...st-win-of-the-summer-beat-orlando-magic-94-90

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

Fischer on Brooklyn Nets free agency: ‘slow roll’ on Cam Thomas, trade for draft assets

In the game within the game, Nets still playing...

When you have all the cards, you don’t bid against yourself.

That is in essence the Brooklyn Nets strategy for the remainder of free agency, particularly in the case of Cam Thomas, the team’s big free agent, as Jake Fischer reported Thursday on The Steinline, Marc Stein’s substack.

More than two weeks into free agency, many executives and agents around the league are still openly wondering: What is Brooklyn doing with its cap space?

Fischer first eliminates one rumored possibility, a back-to-the future move: tendering offer sheets to any of the league’s big restricted free agents, as they did back in Sean Marks first rebuild.

The answer, most certainly, is not using it to pursue restricted free agents. Sean Marks’ front office has been known to do so in the past, furnishing lucrative offer sheets to the likes of Otto Porter Jr, Tyler Johnson and Allen Crabbe.

Not this summer.

Then, Fischer reports that the slow roll strategy extends to Thomas. No rush there. It’s a business and it’s about timing more than anything.

Sources say that the Nets, in fact, have yet to even significantly engage their own restricted free agent: Scoring guard Cam Thomas.

No further details. Nor is Fischer alone in his analysis. Brian Lewis also reported in a tweet Thursday that Nets are in “no hurry”…

And the elephant in the room is Cam Thomas. While #Nets fans are fretting, a league source said the sides are in no hurry, likely like all of the RFAs right now: Josh Giddey, Quentin Grimes and Jonathan Kuminga. #NBA

— Brian Lewis (@NYPost_Lewis) July 17, 2025​

Indeed, as Fischer and Lewis have noted, the Nets have the better poker hand in dealing with Thomas. They have a monopoly on cap space in the NBA. Even if a team could scramble and find enough space to make a bid for Thomas, the Nets have the right to match which they could do without much effort. Also, they can sign Thomas outside the cap. They hold his Bird Rights. Then, there’s the market. CamT is a polarizing figure in the NBA. Fischer previously reported that Thomas wants a deal that values him at $30 million a year while a league source told NetsDaily that giving the 23-year-old more than $10 million their “entire off-season goes from being amazing to shitty.”

And just Wednesday, Zach Lowe added this on his podcast:

“The consensus on Cam Thomas — if there is one, and he’s got some fans, and he’s got some mega-detractors - but the consensus is kind of like Empty Calories Ball Hog.”

It should also be noted that the Nets have yet to sign their two other restricted free agents — Day’Ron Sharpe or Ziaire Williams — although they’ve reportedly agreed to two-year, $12 million deals with the second year a team option which is generally seen as a big bargain, particularly in the case of Sharpe. League sources say they are waiting to see how things work out before deciding whether it’s better to use cap space or the $8.8 million room MLE on one of them. Again, no rush.

So if they’re not going to tender offer sheets and not rushing into a deal with CamT, what are they doing? Fischer says they wait, that they still believe they can add more draft assets:

Brooklyn has been active on the trade front instead, finally shipping out long-pursued sharpshooter Cam Johnson, acquiring Michael Porter Jr. and Terance Mann and adding both the No. 22 overall pick in last month’s draft (which was used on Drake Powell) and Denver’s unprotected 2032 first-round pick in the Johnson-for-Porter deal.

Bottom line?

The Nets appear content on slow-rolling the rest of their offseason accounting. They have roughly $24 million available to absorb additional salary in trades that could generate more incoming draft capital while Thomas’ cap hold ($12.1 million) remains on their books.

And things are by no means urgent. Thomas has until October 1 to exercise his one-year, $6 million qualifying offer, that would make him an unrestricted free agent next June, And the Nets aren’t even at the CBA floor, let alone the cap.

Like Golden State’s Jonathan Kuminga, Chicago’s Josh Giddey and Philadelphia’s Quentin Grimes, there isn’t much Thomas can do to force the Nets’ hand without bidders in the marketplace that possess cap space of their own.

Fischer does not provide details on what the Nets are seeking in terms of draft assets or from what team, but they certainly would like to bolster their pick stash in 2026, a draft that is seen as equal or better than 2025 which many draftniks think was the best in 20 years.

They currently have their own, retrieved from the Rockets in the 2024 exchange of picks and two seconds, neither their own. (In 2027, which Jonathan Givony wrote this week is the polar opposite of 2025 and 2026, the Nets will have at least two picks.)

NBA free agency is often wrapped up by this time of year. The Summer League is ending, big decisions have been made and front office types are getting ready to pack their bags for vacation. This year, however, issues with the CBA “aprons” and the lack of cap space other than in Brooklyn has slowed things, particularly for restricted free agents like Thomas. And no one predicted that teams would prefer expensive buyouts and lengthy stretch payments to giving up assets in trades. Damian Lillard, Bradley Beal and DeAndre Ayton all fit in that category.

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/7/17...low-roll-on-cam-thomas-trade-for-draft-assets

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

Liberty close out first half in style with win against the Indiana Fever, 98-77

Photo by Ishika Samant/Getty Images

Although Caitlin Clark was out, the New York Liberty still delivered plenty of highlights as they cruised to their third straight win.

Photo by Ishika Samant/Getty Images

Every great team has to deal with a trap game. When you get word the opponent’s best player will be out of action, you sometimes loosen up and let go of the rope. It’s human and it happens to the best of us. If you can avoid the trap, you can handle business in a major way.

Without Caitlin Clark, the Indiana Fever are a much different team. When CC missed the Commissioner’s Cup, the team was able to rally and defeat last year’s Cup winner and WNBA Finals runner up, the Minnesota Lynx. The team was without Clark and this time, they had to do it on the second leg of a road back-to-back against a New York Liberty team looking for some payback.

The Fever jumped out to a 2-0 lead as former Liberty star Natasha Howard made the first shot of the game. That was the only time the Fever led tonight. The Liberty were able to find a bunch of success getting to the rim early and often

CLOCK IT for Leoooo pic.twitter.com/4RFWXdgx3q

— New York Liberty (@nyliberty) July 16, 2025​

The Liberty won the points in the paint battle 40 to 36. However, that doesn’t tell the full story as New York’s interior presence was able to open things up for them from three point range

New York had 30 assists (and only 13 turnovers) to their 37 made field goals on the night. The Liberty will be the first to tell you that when the ball is moving from side-to-side and they’re not settling for isolation attempts, they’re at their very best.

But ultimately, the story of this game was Breanna Stewart. Stewie did a bit of everything on both sides of the ball as she led the team in scoring and assists on the night. Stewart’s 24 points, 11 rebounds, seven assists, and four blocks is a feat that had only been accomplished by Candace Parker (Candace is good for those rare historical feats!) in league history. Stewart combined with Nyara Sabally and Isabelle Harrison to hold Fever star Aliyah Boston to 1-8 shooting from the field and just seven points.

On the other end, Stewart made a living on the inside as the majority of her makes came in the painted area.

Stew just out there C KIN'!!! pic.twitter.com/U1uuG64vhq

— New York Liberty (@nyliberty) July 17, 2025​

“We try to play to the percentages a lot," Stewart said in postgame. "I think we try to play to the percentages a lot, like [restricted area] attempts and threes. It seemed like, especially in the first half, anything where I came off of the stagger, it was confusion between guards and post, and I was able to kind of just get downhill. So just taking what the defense gives me, you know? If it’s going to be like tonight, I’m going to try and get to the basket every single time because it’s so open."

Stewart's three point shooting has been a source of concern for much of the season as it’s at a career low 21 percent. However, she’s shooting 51.6 percent on two pointers, her highest mark since her first MVP season with the Seattle Storm back in 2018. The sign of a superstar is you’re able to control the game even when you’re struggling in one particular area.

Final score: New York Liberty 98, Indiana Fever 77.

At 15-6, the Liberty are second in the standings behind the Lynx. There’s still plenty of room for improvement for the defending WNBA champions as they try to make it back to the top of the WNBA mountain.

Caitlin Clark misses the game due to a groin injury​

Photo by Chris Marion/NBAE via Getty Images

Late in Tuesday’s game against Connecticut Sun, Caitlin Clark was seen grimacing and holding her groin. It’s been an especially rough sophomore season for the Fever superstar and you could see the toll it’s all taking on the young superstar

Appears that Caitlin Clark has re-aggravated her groin injury

— CJ Fogler (@cjzero.bsky.social) 2025-07-16T02:19:08.128Z

“Obviously I’m not gonna speak for Caitlin,” Stephanie White said in pregame, “but again, with someone who’s continued to have setbacks from an injury standpoint... And as a former athlete who’s had a lot of surgeries myself, it’s very frustrating. You feel like you’re trying to do everything you can to put yourself in position to get past it or to move forward. And when there’s a setback, it’s mentally and emotionally tough. And so of course she was upset. I think anyone in that position would be. You see it all throughout the course of history with athletes when they go through injuries and especially multiple injuries back-to-back, just when you think you’re starting to move the needle. So I think the most important thing for us is to keep her upbeat, to continue to support her and let her know that we have her back and that we’re going to go out and battle for her.”

White also mentioned that Clark’s team will make the determination as to if she can participate in this weekend’s All-Star festivities. As perhaps the most bankable star in American professional sports, a lot rides on Clark’s shoulders. She specifically held out on taking part in NBA All-Star Weekend festivities so she could participate in the W’s, especially in her city. We’ll see how long she’s out for this time.

The Magic Hour​

Marine Johannès always provides a jolt of energy when she steps on the court. Her combination of flair, marksmanship, and audaciousness keeps opponents on their toes and Barclays Center on its feet

THE WIZ IS MAKIN' IT RAIN 3'S AT @barclayscenter ️ pic.twitter.com/Q6PUIko914

— New York Liberty (@nyliberty) July 17, 2025​

Even amidst the showstopping threes, her passing is what keeps the Liberty offense humming and a bet to get a quality shot attempt on almost every possession. Throughout the season, we’ve seen the budding pick and roll chemistry between herself and new Liberty big, Isabelle Harrison.

“I think we always constantly make eye contact with each other, Harrison said in postgame, “and when she’s out there on the court, it’s someone that I make sure i screen for.” “Her and [Sabrina Ionescu], i just always make sure I’m head hunting for them, and I want to get Marine involved as much as I can because that’s my job as a screener and she constantly rewards me by looking for me on the roll.

So yeah, playing with a player like Marine you never know what to expect, and she definitely keeps you on your toes. So I’m really happy that I’ve been able to have this experience with a player like her.”

Attendance keeps rising​

It was another sell-out at Barclays Center, with 17,371 on hand. It was the second straight sell-out following Sunday’s 17,265. The Liberty is averaging 16,103, third in the league behind the Golden State Valkyrie and Indiana Fever. And that’s with Brooklyn Sports and Entertainment’s arena renovations underway, closing off big sections of Barclays Center.

As we’ve noted before, the Liberty season average, should it stay at current levels (or go higher), will wind up better than any Brooklyn Nets team between 2016 and 2019.

Next up​

Photo by Brian Spurlock/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

The Liberty are off for a few days as we are officially at the All-Star break! It’ll be a busy weekend for the Liberty as Sandy Brondello and the coaching staff along with Natasha Cloud, Sabrina Ionescu, and Breanna Stewart will take part in various activities in Indianapolis. The Skills Competition kicks things off on Friday at 8:00 p.m. ET on ESPN.

• Boxscore: New York Liberty 98, New York Liberty 77 - NBA
• Game Highlights: New York Liberty 98, New York Liberty 77 (Video) - NBA

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/7/17...t-caitlin-clark-natasha-cloud-marine-johannes

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

Brooklyn Nets lose to Philadelphia 76ers 87-83 in Summer League finale

Photo by Candice Ward/Getty Images

Without any of their four first-round rookies, this game was not at the top of the marquee, even for a 5th Las Vegas Summer League game.

The Brooklyn Nets played their fifth and final game of Las Vegas Summer League on Friday evening. So even die-hardiest of Nets fans likely had something better to do than view auditions for the last available two-way contract or maybe a training camp invite which this year includes a ticket to China!

After all, none of Brooklyn’s top-flight rookies, nor Drew Timme and Tyson Etienne, were playing...

The following players are OUT for tonight’s Nets Summer League finale:

Egor Demin
Nolan Traore
Ben Saraf
Danny Wolf
Drew Timme
Tyson Etienne

— Erik Slater (@erikslater_) July 18, 2025​

With the opposing Philadelphia 76ers also running out their C-team, meaning no V.J. Edgecombe, the most intriguing participants were Brooklyn’s bigs, 6’11” Grant Nelson and 6’10” Tyrese Samuel.

With one two-way contract currently up for grabs (Tyson Etienne and Tosan Evbuomwan hold the other two), Nelson and Samuel are strong candidates to get another look heading into training camp.

Nelson, a 23-year-old reportedly has a camp invite already. He finished his college career at the University of Alabama, got off to a strong start on Friday, attacking the rim repeatedly including this monster flush...

Grant Nelson that is a *big* dunk: pic.twitter.com/suOq9mFRHY

— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) July 18, 2025​

Tyrese Samuel, slightly older at 25, spent last season with the G League’s Valley Suns. The Canadian hooper was not to be outdone. After posting solid performances playing low minutes in Brooklyn’s last two games, Samuel blocked a shot and scored nine points in the first quarter on perfect shooting, including a smooth-looking 3-pointer...

Tyrese Samuel hits a three, up to five quick points as he presumably battles for that last two-way: pic.twitter.com/bZrEtilura

— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) July 18, 2025​

Nelson would finish with 11 points, four boards, and two dimes in 24 minutes, while Samuel posted 19 points, 12 rebounds, two assists, and a block in 29 minutes.

Tosan Evbuomwan, who had missed previous LVSL contests with injury, did not have such luck. Once again doing a bit too much primary ball-handling as a result of roster constraints, he bricked his way to six points on 2-14 shooting. Will it affect his two-way status? Probably not. But it wasn’t fun to watch.

As for the game itself, the Nets held a double-digit lead early, clicking on all cylinders until the Sixers deployed a 3-2 zone that truly made the game unwatchable. Turnovers, missed 3-pointers to cap stagnant possessions. At least Nelson switched capably onto guards while Samuel showcased real strength and coordination inside. But hopefully, you just caught the highlights.

A stagnant second half saw Sixers lay siege to and eventually take the lead, pumping it up to double digits on more than one occasion. Philly’s zone continued to stiff arm Brooklyn’s offense which lacked the shooting and passing prowess to stretch and tear it.

Brooklyn didn’t retake control until around the three minute mark of the final period after Grant Nelson cashed three one way and Quincy Olivari did the other, finishing and-one to put the Nets up a digit with just over three to go.

Pretty pass from Tosan. More of this please. pic.twitter.com/b5LUGEXIrd

— Collin Helwig (@collinhelwig) July 18, 2025​

But the comeback effort ended there, as did the summer league two of Brooklyn’s ball handlers. Olivari exited a few sequences after his lead-taking bucket with an apparent injury. As the 76ers climbed back in front, earning a handful of trips to the line, Caleb Daniels also went down with a knee injury, leaving on a wheelchair.

Olivari finished the night with 18 points, two rebounds, and an assist, while Daniels tacked on five points, seven rebounds, three assists, and two steals. It was the 76ers, however, who held on to win, taking this final contest by an 87-83 score.

For the Sixers, Mark Armstrong who played for the Long Island Nets last season, finished with 23 points to lead all scorers. The South Orange, N.J. native and Villanova product, is Dariq Whitehead’s cousin.

But perhaps the most entertaining part of the evening was Egor Dëmin’s cameo on the NBA TV broadcast. If nothing else, the Russian rookie is going to be a great quote...

Egor Dëmin: "I think I might spend more time in the lifting room than on the court ... I'm super aware of myself and what I need to get better at. I'm living in the lifting room. I'm not getting upset because I know how much I'm putting into this. It's just a question of time." pic.twitter.com/KQMK0E6DdE

— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) July 18, 2025​

He also shouted out Brooklyn food scene. Mind you, not American Brooklyn food, but Brooklyn’s restaurants which serve Russian cuisine.

"Food is amazing. I love Brooklyn for that. I can find anything in Brooklyn ... in Brighton Beach it's full of Russian Restaurants."

What American food do you like?

"Well, what is American food. All respect, what is American food?"

- Egor Dëmin

— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) July 18, 2025​

Can’t say I blame the kid — but he should try Bark Barbecue in Dumbo and get back to us.

Next Up​

Photo by Oisin Keniry/R&A/R&A via Getty Images

Rest and relaxation. We’ll be writing through it all, but no Nets basketball for quite some time. To be precise, the next Brooklyn Nets game will be a preseason game vs the Phoenix Suns exactly 84 days — seven weeks — from now in Macao, China. Enjoy the summer. We’ll be here.

• Boxscore: Philadelphia 76ers 87, Brooklyn Nets 83 - NBA
• Game Highlights: Philadelphia 76ers 87, Brooklyn Nets 83 (Video) - NBA
• Nets summer league grades: Tyrese Samuel drops 19 in loss to 76ers - Sharif Phillips-Keaton - USA Today
• Tyrese Samuel Shines in Nets’ Summer League Finale Despite Loss to 76ers - Kyler Fox - Sports Illustrated

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/7/18...-league-tyrese-samuel-drew-timme-grant-nelson

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

NetsDaily Off-Season Report - No. 13

Every weekend, we’ll be updating the Nets’ off-season with bits and pieces of information, gossip, etc. to help fans get ready for ... whatever.

Yeah, we didn’t post an Off-Season Report last weekend. We were so excited by our visit to Barclays Center for the Liberty-Dream game — and meeting Ellie — that we sorta forgot. So we’ll try to make up for it this week.

————————-

Summer League is over. The Nets, following their historic draft, finished 1-4, their only win a close one over the 0-5 Orlando Magic. Still, there were moments and some surprises. Who among us (how about none?) expected Egor Demin to wind up as the best 3-point volume shooter — 43.5% on 7.7 3-point attempts — in Summer League while registering four assists in three games? (By comparison, Dylan Harper shot 12.5% from deep and Jeremiah Fears 18.2%.)

And Drew Timme! As historical data gathered by RealGM shows, the 6’10” Timme ranks seventh ALL-TIME in Summer League scoring at 25.3 per game to go along with 8.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists. FYI, Cam Thomas ranks third on that list.

Danny Wolf, taken at No. 27, and Nolan Traore, at No. 19, looked good in moments but Ben Saraf, the No. 26 pick, did not ... not that it mattered much. Drake Powell, taken at No. 22, didn’t play. So we’ll have to wait and see on him.

And we are still struggling with pronouncing Demin, Traore and Saraf’s last names. It will take a while. (We’re good with Wolf and Powell.)

Perhaps the biggest takeaway was not how well Demin did on the court. but mature is. At 19 years old, he looked like a leader-in-waiting on the court and in interviews, the most recent and longest of which was the one he did Friday during the Sixers game when he didn’t play:

Smooth. After a year at BYU, he seems to be well on his way to becoming a go-to voice despite his youth. Hoping the constant losing doesn’t get to him. That is always a danger with young players who’ve grown up in winning programs then have to face stretches without any wins.

There were other players who looked good despite limited resumes. Tyrese Samuel who played his college ball at Seton Hall and Florida got an opportunity and the 25-year-old took advantage of it. In the Sixers game, the 6’10” big scored 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting, including 1-of-2 from deep, grabbed 12 rebounds, five of them offensive and handed out two assists while blocking a shot. He finished with averages of 11.7 points and 6.3 boards in 17 minutes. Grant Nelson in extended minutes vs. Philly put up 11 points. He already has a training camp invite, per Michael Scotto.

Which brings us to roster math again. Here’s the latest after the Draft and two plus weeks of free agency:

GUARANTEED STANDARD NBA CONTRACTS (10):

• Michael Porter Jr., 27
• Nic Claxton, 26
• Terance Mann, 28
• Noah Clowney, 21
• Dariq Whitehead, 20
• Egor Demin, 19
• Nolan Traore, 19
• Drake Powell, 19
• Ben Saraf, 19
• Danny Wolf, 21

NON-GUARANTEED NBA CONTRACTS (4)

• Keon Johnson, 23
• Jalen Wilson, 25
• Tyrese Martin, 26
• Drew Timme, 25

Johnson and Wilson are partially guaranteed. They’ll receive $271,000 (Johnson) and $88,000 (Wilson) if cut.

RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS (3)

• Cam Thomas, 23
• Day’Ron Sharpe, 23
• Ziaire Williams, 23

Sharpe and Williams have reportedly agreed to identical, two-year $12.0 million deals with the second year a team option.

NON-GUARANTEED TWO-WAYS (2)

• Tosan Evbuowan, 24
• Tyson Etienne, 26

That’s 19 players total, two short of what NBA teams can bring into camp which for the Nets will begin the last week of September as they try to get a head start on their China trip. BUT with four non-guaranteed minimum deals and two non-guaranteed two-ways, there is plenty of wiggle room. While a lot of the focus on Jake Fischer’s reporting Friday was on Cam Thomas status, The Steinline contributor also dropped this:

Brooklyn has been active on the trade front instead, finally shipping out long-pursued sharpshooter Cam Johnson, acquiring Michael Porter Jr. and Terance Mann and adding both the No. 22 overall pick in last month’s draft (which was used on Drake Powell) and Denver’s unprotected 2032 first-round pick in the Johnson-for-Porter deal.

“Active on the trade front,” you say. Hmmm. Fischer didn’t identify any possibilities but with somewhere between $22 and $28 million in cap space remaining, depending on that wiggle room, Nets can still take on salary dumps and get a return in draft assets ... but what kind?

The market, seemingly, is limited as teams fill out their rosters, but there are reports that other clubs are still in the market. For example, there’s been multiple reports the Suns are marketing two 30-somethings with big contracts: Grayson Allen who’s owed $54.4 million over the next three, the final year a player option, and old friend Royce O’Neale who’s owed $32.6 million over that same span, all of it guaranteed. It would appear that the Nets would have no positional need for either and the Allen contract is indeed worth dumping if you’re the Suns. Phoenix has little to offer in return though. (No, we’re not advocating for either, just citing an example.)

Indeed, Yossi Gozlan of capsheets.com and the Third Apron podcast believes that at this point in the calendar the Nets return in salary dumps is more likely to be first round swaps and/or second rounders (of which the Nets already have 18 over the next seven years) than first rounders.

It’s also hard to believe that rival teams are going to give up much if anything in the 2026 NBA Draft. Brooklyn currently has one first and two seconds next year in a draft that looks to be as good as this year’s was supposed to be. Should Sean Marks & co. have tried to consolidate some of their picks to move? Did they try and get rebuffed? We don’t know, but there’s plenty of time to add picks at the deadline or before the Draft when as we know the Nets GM is often busy.

There’s also plenty of time to assess the Nets overall off-season, but much of the pundit class thinks the Nets have employed “half-measures” thus far. Here’s couple of recent ones;

Our ProfessorB made the case last week that Brooklyn is “treading water,” not coming up with anything to justify the the hype ... most first round picks in a generational draft, a monopoly on salary cap space, etc. And it wasn’t just the pundits who were pushing that narrative that this summer is critical. SCOUT, the internally produced docu-series, is filled with commentary about how they have to get this off-season right.

“Spending to win was always unlikely,” wrote the Prof, summing up. “But two weeks into free agency, the Nets are barely treading water.”

Similarly, Steve Lichtenstein of the Steve’s Newsletter substack is not impressed by much Sean Marks has done thus far, as he wrote Saturday. He believes that the Nets are “resorting to the kind of half-measures that will ensure that the team will be bad, but not bad enough. That’s another year of hell in my book.” He even predicts that those “half-measures” could be Marks undoing. “f the rookies don’t show enough progress as many around the league predict, the calls will grow louder for ownership to make a change before Marks gets the opportunity to make more controversial picks.” Seems a bit extreme.

Both offer caveats about 1) the off-season not being over; and 2) the long-term uncertainties attached to the draft picks whose success or failure won’t be known for more than a year.

We expect moves beyond Cam Thomas — the Nets can give him $17.5 million and still just touch the salary floor. As Professor B wrote, “Marks is always capable of surprising. However, the simplest path, and perhaps the most likely, would be to re-sign Thomas, retain Johnson and Wilson, and call it a day.”

Is that enough to satisfy the fan base? Hardly but that’s a high bar.

Cam, Cam, Cam ​

We already have written about Cam Thomas’ frustrated NSFW series of tweets Friday. It was, in our humble opinion, bad, bad, bad, from a number of angles.

Yes, he’s frustrated by the glacial pace of the negotiations and yes, the Zach Lowe comments just added fuel to the fire and the summation that many in the NBA believe he’s an “empty calories ball hog” was rough. Thomas is a proud man, proud of his accomplishments at the NBA level, but he’s been constantly dealing with whose who dismiss him as anything but a bucket-getter (as if that isn’t the most important part of the game, outscoring the opponents!)

However, it should be pretty obvious that letting off steam in a profanity-laced, name-calling tweet fest isn’t helpful to anyone. It’s our humble opinion that whatever value Cam Thomas had on the free agency market today is less than what it was yesterday. It may have helped him get something off his chest, and thrilled his many fans, but it’s hard to imagine after the outburst, there’s an NBA GM out there thinking to himself, “that’s the guy I want.”

Even back home in Brooklyn, a lot of heads have to be shaking, eyes rolling. The franchise doesn’t have a lot of tolerance for stuff like this ... and was one of the tweets a shot at his own teammates from last year? Seems like it. In defending his assist level, he dropped this bon mot...

Guess nobody was passin the mf ball . but just bring me up every time

— Cam Thomas (@24_camthomas) July 18, 2025

How else can this be interpreted other than a criticism of his teammates, past and present, or his coach?

Again, no need. Is he trying to so antagonize the Nets front office that they’d agree to deal him in a sign-and-trade so he can get a fresh start somewhere else? It would be the only way for him to get the big bucks he thinks he deserves but it’s tricky. Under the CBA, the receiving team (assuming they can make things work under the cap,) in most cases would get hard-capped. And what’s in it for the Nets. Things like this add to the polarization. He’s becoming damaged goods whose lack of self-awareness is puzzling.

Yeah, watch this space. Hoping for the best, but Cam, Cam, Cam, it’s a business. Don’t make it personal.

Cam Johnson says offers some hope to fans​

When he got word that he’d finally been dealt, for Michael Porter Jr. and the Nuggets unprotected first in 2032, Cam Johnson offered this commenr.

“Obviously, we wish we could’ve been better,” Johnson said on “The Young Man and the Three” podcast. “And I was willing to do everything in my power to get us back on a winning track. And I think they’ll get there eventually. I have faith in those guys in that building.” (Emphasis ours.)

Generally, a positive comment but the use of “eventually” didn’t sound like a ringing endorsement of the franchise’s strategy. It sounded, at least to us, that he thought the end of the rebuild was far in the incalculable distance.

At his introduction in Denver this week, he was far more effusive and brought up a key factor in the Nets rebuild lost in discussions of free agency, the draft etc.

“I have so much respect for that coaching staff in Brooklyn. I really loved playing for Jordi,” Johnson said. “I think Jordi has a tremendously bright future in this league. I think Brooklyn has a bright future. Those are my guys for sure.”

Here’s the video. Note the nodding heads from the Nuggets execs, perhaps recalling the six years Jordi spent in the Mile High City...

Cam Johnson on Jordi Fernandez and the Brooklyn Nets: “I have so much respect for that coaching staff in Brooklyn. I really loved playing for Jordi. I think Jordi has a tremendously bright future in this league. I think Brooklyn has a bright future. Those are my guys for sure.” pic.twitter.com/sr6gJg9zgJ

— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) July 18, 2025

Johnson joins a long list of players, coaches, pundits etc. who’ve offered virtually unanimous praise for the first move Sean Marks made in the Nets rebuild: hiring a rookie head coach, passing on veterans, no matter how glowing their resume’. It seems like a no-brainer now — hiring a guy who GM annual surveys had identified as the best assistant coach in the league. But it wasn’t. Hiring a guy with no experience for the biggest job in your organization carries risks, period, particularly when the team was just beginning a rebuild. And as Cam Thomas noted in one of his tweets, the Nets got out to a 9-10 record before he went down and the Nets moved Dennis Schroder and Dorian Finney-Smith in late December.

The betting apps have the Nets at 20.5 wins, one more than they did last season. Fernandez shredded that narrative early. He’ll have another chance to do the same this year and don’t you think he won’t try.

You can give the Nets whatever grade you want for their rebuild so far, including an “incomplete,” but the selection of Fernandez deserves an A.

Art for the masses​

Work is underway at Barclays Center on the key piece of the five-year $100 million renovation of the arena, which will be centered The Bridge, a two-level 6,800 square-foot multi-use space open to all guests

Here’s an image from last week’s Liberty game, showing progress. The construction will not affect either the Liberty or Nets schedules, nor concerts although some seats are unavailable...

Also this week, in an interview with Cultured Magazine, Clara Wu Tsai spoke about plans for art at the renovated arena, noting that prominent local artists have been commissioned to work with architects, engineers and her and Joe’s staff.

The grandest of the installations will be a work by sculptor Sarah Sze in the Barclay Center atrium. Sze’ most prominent work is “Shorter than the Day”, on permanent display in the arrivals and departures lounge at LaGuardia Airport. It’s a large constellation of photographs placed in a spherical arrangement. As Columbia University School of the Arts where Sze is a professor, describes it, “these hundreds of images form a fragile, amorphous sphere. Each photograph features the New York City sky at a different time of day.”

Wu Tsai would not reveal the specifics of the signature piece in discussing her plans with Cultured’s Sophia Cohen (daughter of Mets owner Steve Cohen) but she made it clear, it will be “more ambitious” than the LaGuardia sculpture and be placed in the renovated atrium, the arena’s main entrance.

“The LaGuardia piece is constructed from static images, and the shape and thematic intention of this work, as well as Sarah’s use of moving images, will be quite different,” said Wu Tsai. “Sarah’s a huge basketball fan, she’s spent a lot of time at the arena, and it’s given her a tremendous understanding of the space and how we want visitors to experience it.”

“We recently went to see a model of Sarah’s sculpture at her studio. Our whole team—the architects who are doing the renovation of Barclays Center, our senior executive leadership team, the CEO, and I—met with her at her studio to understand her vision, how it expands her practice, and how it will fit in with the redesign of the atrium.”

The second artist who Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment is working with is Rashid Johnson, a New York artist whose work is currently featured at the Guggenheim Museum. His “Anxious Audience” will be moved to Barclays Center at the close of the Guggenheim show.

As Wu Tsai notes, fans can view the work at the museum

“Yes, it’s actually the large-scale ‘Anxious Audience’ painting on the first floor of his current show at the Guggenheim,” Wu Tsai told Cohen. The work is a meditation on anxiety in which basic faces stare out from a grid as if witnesses to the artist’s anxiety.

Wu Tsai did not say where the work will be sited but noted that she hoped that fans at Barclays like those at the Guggenheim will have the pictures taken in front of it. So expect ti to be prominent.

“When it gets to Barclays Center, we hope people will recognize it and want to photograph themselves in front of it, too...

“Showing art in a sports context feels natural to us. Brooklyn and New York have more artists per capita than any other city in America. It makes sense for us to showcase art in our arena that celebrates and mirrors the diversity of Brooklyn.”

Already on the premises at Flatbush and Atlantic is local photojournalist LaToya Ruby Frazier’s “Liberty Portraits: a Monument to the 2024 Champions,” a collection of nine-foot high two-sided portraits of the team’s players stretched out on the plaza in front of the arena.

“LaToya focused on making sure the players didn’t feel that she was just a photojournalist,” Tsai told Cohen. “She really embraced the players. She noticed the duality—they’re heroes, but she also wanted to reveal their humanity,” said Tsai.

“In their display cases, the pieces are about nine feet tall. There are family portraits alongside images of each player with their game face on, and there are also family testimonials, which are an essential part of the project. She traveled to their hometowns and took the time to connect with them.”

Indeed, Wu Tsai has been instrumental in installing other art around the arena, most prominently the “We Belong Here ... “You Belong Here” neon sculpture by Tavares Strachan above the subway entrance across the plaza. She told Cultured its inspiration the $50 million Social Justice Fund she and Joe set up after the George Floyd murder in Minneapolis. Brooklyn protestors used the plaza as a rally point, becoming a town square.

“This phrase is somewhat of an anthem of the Social Justice Fund. It is a message that we hoped could instill a sense of agency and a belief that all people in Brooklyn can coexist in beautiful ways,” she said. “We have a belief that art is a powerful tool for fostering empathy and community. We believe that art should be accessible to all. These themes form the basis for why we want to commission more public art at the Barclays Center.”

Wu Tsai did not provide a date for the installation of the pieces by Sze or Johnson. That depends on the progress of the renovation, etc. but the co-owner of the Nets and Liberty is likely to meet her goal of more public art at the arena. She is on the board of Lincoln Center. More significantly, her last big goal was winning a WNBA championship. How’d that work out?

Family ties ​

In other news regarding Clara Wu Tsai, she revealed at an seminar featuring her and former Net, former Knick and forever LinSanity ideal Jeremy Lin are second cousins. While it was known that the Tsais and Lin are close, this was the first disclosure that that the two are related. Wu Tsai explained that their grandmothers back in Taiwan were sisters!

Clara Wu Tsai talks about her cousin Jeremy Lin and the effect of LinSanity on the Asian American community including her and Joe’s two sons while Lin talks about the challenges of peaking at 23 and how he dealt with life after the spotlight faded. https://t.co/S4SetKhomq

— NetsDaily (@NetsDaily) July 16, 2025​

“Our grandmothers were sisters,” Wu Tsai explained. “Obviously my grandmother was the older sister and his grandmother was the baby of the family, but we are second cousins.”

Wu Tsai that she and her family were well aware of the connection 15 years ago when LinSanity burst on the scene at Madison Square Garden elevating 23-year-old Chinese-American with a degree in economics from Harvard to superstar status at least for a couple of weeks.

“LinSanity was such a big part of my family when it came out. It brought so much joy to us. Just the way Jeremy was an underdog and captured the hearts of the nation, of so many people. including all the young Asian hoopers, including my two sons. It allowed them to dream that they can play in the NBA sometime.”

Who knew? We didn’t.

Final Note​

As we noted, the Summer League is over. The next time, players will don the black-and-white for real will be 12 weeks from now when the Nets will fly to Macao, China’s gambling resort across the Pearl River from Hong Kong. They’ll play two games vs. the Phoenix Suns on October 10 and 12 in the 14,000 capacity arena of the Venetian Resort, owned by Dallas Mavericks governor Miriam Adelson. In the meantime, there will be news here and there but it usually is a desert. The big moves have taken place. Stay close.

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/7/19/24470453/netsdaily-off-season-report-no-13

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

Summer League: Brooklyn Nets at Philadelphia 76ers, 6:00 PM ET

Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images

No first rounders for either team but a lot of players looking for work…

The Brooklyn Nets won its first Summer League game in a close one against the winless Orlando Magic. There were a lot of positives — Egor Demin knocked down three three-pointers at game end. Danny Wolf had his best game with 18 points.

WHO: Brooklyn Nets vs. Philadelphia 76ers​

WHEN: 6:00 PM ET​

WATCH: NBA TV​

At halftime, the Nets lead the 76ers 44-43. Tyrese Samuel has 14 points and 5 rebounds while Quincy Olivari has 9 points.

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/7/18...rooklyn-nets-at-philadelphia-76ers-6-00-pm-et

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

Cam Thomas to Zach Lowe: ‘F*** you’ on ‘empty calories ball hog’ comment

Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images

Negotiations take back seat to CamT’s response to NBA writer...

Cam Thomas is in the middle of contract negotiations with the Brooklyn Nets on his next contract, which are at this point going nowhere according to both Jake Fischer and Brian Lewis. The two sides have not had “significant” talks, Fischer reported on The Steinline and Lewis, writing for the Post, quoted a league official as saying the team is in “no hurry” on free agent negotiations.

And so when Zach Lowe on Wednesday discussed Thomas’ free agency, it got the Nets shooting guard’s attention. On his The Dunker Spot podcast last week, the Ringer reporter had said: “The consensus on Cam Thomas — if there is one, and he’s got some fans, and he’s got some mega-detractors — but the consensus is kind of like Empty Calories Ball Hog.”

Thomas was decidedly not pleased...

The consenus? F*** you and the consensus @ZachLowe_NBA . This is most likely the same consensus teams who can’t guard me and send double teams from jump ball . Why are we double teaming a guy who's “not that good” make it make sense please. https://t.co/IrHNVHYqTc

— Cam Thomas (@24_camthomas) July 18, 2025​

And that wasn’t the only newsy tweet from the 23-year-old. He took what may or may not be a subtle swipe at Sean Marks, the Nets GM, and his teammates...

Last time speaking on some shit.
Empty Calories ? First off we were the 5th or 6th team in the east before my injury and trades. Can’t control what the GM wanna do with the team … 2nd ball hog? I was 2nd on the team in assists , not counting the Pgs traded away and traded for…

— Cam Thomas (@24_camthomas) July 18, 2025​

Guess nobody was passin the mf ball . but just bring me up every time

— Cam Thomas (@24_camthomas) July 18, 2025​

Thomas averaged 3.8 assists in 31.4 minutes last season, a respectable number for shooting guard.

Thomas’s tweets, his first in free agency, were responding to Sharif Phillips-Keaton of USA Today who had defended Thomas’ game, offering some statistics...

Nobody sees this when it comes to me tho I’m dead https://t.co/usaUMNizTa

— Cam Thomas (@24_camthomas) July 18, 2025​

To suggest Cam Thomas’ game (and personality) is polarizing is nothing new, but Thomas is in talks about his NBA career and so he’s bound to be sensitive. Moreover, in the past several days, there have been various takes on his worth, not one of them particularly positive. Fischer, who previously reported that Thomas wants a deal that values him at $30 million a year, wrote this Thursday:

Sources say that the Nets, in fact, have yet to even significantly engage their own restricted free agent: Scoring guard Cam Thomas.

On Friday, Brian Lewis confirmed Fischer’s report in a conversation with a source close to Thomas.

Thomas has openly said he views himself as one of the best shooting guards in the league.

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).

“No way,” the source said. “So he could want $30 million, too,”

At the other end of the spectrum, a league source told NetsDaily last week that giving the 23-year-old more than $10 million would ensure their “entire off-season goes from being amazing to shitty.”

And in an interview with Connor Long on the Brooklyn Boys podcast, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon suggested that the Nets might be playing hardball with Thomas. “I would say Cam Thomas wants to be paid and apparently the Nets aren’t eager to pay him.”

MacMahon told Long that Thomas remains “pretty polarizing around the league,” so the market for him might be limited, the same point that Jake Fischer made last week. “We know he can score, get bucks, but can he contribute to winning?”

Indeed, in an SB Nation NBA Reacts poll, out Friday, most Nets fans think Thomas is not worth much more than $20 million

Moreover, Thomas has had injury issues, missing 73 games over the past two seasons, mostly due to hamstring issues.

Lowe didn’t mention the missed games in his assessment. The comments that offended Thomas were Lowe’s summation. Here’s the full transcript. H/T Sharif Phillips-Keaton…

Thomas is one of four restricted free agents who are stuck in a bad place this summer. Other that their current teams — Thomas with the Nets, Josh Giddey with the Bulls, Jonathan Kuminga with the Warriors, Quentin Grimes with the 76ers — there doesn’t appear to be a market for any of them. One big reason is the the NBA’s new CBA with its draconian limits for those teams over the first or second apron and the reality that only one team has cap space, the Nets.

In theory, Thomas could seek a sign-and-trade to another if he is ultimately unhappy with a Nets offer and another team is willing to meet his demands, but that can get tricky for the receiving team which under most circumstances would become hard-capped.

And the two sides have plenty of time to work things out. He can exercise his qualifying offer and play next year at $6 million and become an unrestricted free agent.

Attempts to gain a comment from the Nets on Thomas’s tweets failed. Lowe has not reacted.

• Nets’ Cam Thomas pushes back against narrative he isn’t impactful - Sharif Phillips-Keaton - USA Today
• Nets’ Cam Thomas goes nuclear in profane rant against NBA analyst Zach Lowe: ‘F–k you and the consensus’ - Brian Lewis - New York Post
• Cam Thomas rebuts critics amid free agency talks - C.J. Holmes - New York Daily News
• Nets’ Cam Thomas fires NSFW shot at Zach Lowe for ‘ball hog’ criticism - Erik Slater - Clutch Points
• Cam Thomas fires back at critical comments made by NBA analyst - Alex Walsh - Yahoo! Sports
• Nets RFA Cam Thomas Says ‘F—k You and the Consensus’ About ‘Mega-Detractors’ Report - Julia Stumbaugh - Bleacher Report

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/7/18...we-f-you-over-empty-calories-ball-hog-comment

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

Cam Thomas and the Brooklyn Nets are in an inevitable purgatory

Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images

Thomas is a great basketball player who has improved every season. But this story was written long before he cursed at Zach Lowe.

Jordan, LeBron, Shai, Giannis, Shaq, Wade, Kobe, Hakeem, Steph, KD, Kawhi, Tatum. That’s the full list of players to post a 30% usage rate and win a championship in the same season since 1982, per Stathead.

You take that inescapable truth, play telephone, put millions of dollars on the table, and eventually, you get a tweet like this...

The consenus? F*** you and the consensus @ZachLowe_NBA . This is most likely the same consensus teams who can’t guard me and send double teams from jump ball . Why are we double teaming a guy who's “not that good” make it make sense please. https://t.co/IrHNVHYqTc

— Cam Thomas (@24_camthomas) July 18, 2025​

Cam Thomas is very, very good at basketball. At 21 years old, he scored three straight 40+ point games in the NBA, in a style that evidenced to a national audience why his profile picture is a graphic of him dribbling alongside Kobe Bryant. Here’s another truth. How valuable a player is to an NBA team is not synonymous with how good (or entertaining) that player is.

Paolo Banchero does ten things a game that should be impossible for a 6’10”, 250-pound block of muscle. And yet, at Summer League, I had a conversation with an acquaintance now working in a team’s front office, a basketball mind I respect greatly. He is far from alone in pitying the Orlando Magic, who had no choice but to offer Paolo Banchero a five-year contract that be worth up to $287 million.

He asked me: “Has there ever been a championship team with a player like that?”

Banchero, over three seasons, is rocking a career usage-rate well over 30%, while failing approach to league-average efficiency shooting the ball. So, the answer is no. He will either have to radically change his scoring profile or play style — the latter of which, given the annual salary north of $50 million, seems unlikely — to be a centerpiece of a championship team.

Of course, Banchero is yet to play his age-23 season, and is averaging 29 points per game in his nine playoff appearances so far. My acquaintance (and I) may have to eat crow one day. But for now, it’s unlikely.

If Paolo Banchero ever had the misfortune of reading those paragraphs, he’d feel the same feeling that Cam Thomas (or the family member running his account) felt when reading Lowe’s aggregated quote. As he should.

But Banchero carries a #1 overall pick pedigree. Thomas is currently floundering in restricted free agency as the NBA has shunned the idea of one-dimensional, score-first guards this summer. Hell, look at this past NBA Finals, look at who the Brooklyn Nets drafted with their record-breaking five first-round picks.

And yet, Cam Thomas has done what he’s been asked in his NBA career. In 2024-25, he reached league-average TS% while carrying the heaviest offensive load on the worst team of his four-year career. He’s turned some of his long twos into pull-up threes.

By any measure, he is a far better passer than when he entered the league at 20 years old, specifically in situations where he handles the ball most. He developed real pick-and-roll synergy with Nic Claxton last season, and showcased a healthy variety of dump-off passes, lobs, and the occasional kick-out to a shooter. This was all evident in his final two games of the season, before suffering his third and final left hamstring strain, where he diced up the Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls for 51 points, 13 assists, and just four turnovers...

fantastic early plays from Cam Thomas: pic.twitter.com/2BWA8FwkmT

— Lucas Kaplan (@LucasKaplan_) March 14, 2025​

Thomas is no longer “worst defender in the league” level, having graduated to “really bad” with much more room to improve. His decision-making off the ball is still pretty slow, but he is lethal on catch-and-shoot 3-pointers, converting 40.5% of those looks since the beginning of his sophomore season. Given his skillset, his age, and the upward trajectory, CT should be a useful player for an NBA team.

Maybe you disagree. I get that. But Jalen Green, who is a far worse shooter than Thomas but uses superior athleticism to accomplish, um ... is making $35 million a year. I’d be mad too.

We don’t give grace to a player whose standout skill is scoring the ball. Not even if he is the all-time leading scorer at Oak Hill Academy, nor if he averaged 23 points per game as a freshman in the SEC. We do this because the bar to be a valuable score-first player on a good NBA team is astronomically high, but we fabricate other reasonings.

There is no way to call a player an “empty calories ball hog” without at least implying they are a selfish player. An undesirable teammate. A player that cares about their own stats more than the success of the team.

Indisputably, Thomas sinks into periods of shot-chucking. When the Nets, who just fielded the fourth head coach and worst roster of CT’s career, would go down by double-digits last season en route to yet another loss behind an inept offense, you could see Thomas realize this sucks, I’m just gonna try to score. I certainly didn’t find it enjoyable to watch, but for a guy whose best skill will never be anything but on-ball scoring, a guy who improved all facets of his game over his rookie contract, I don’t know, I wasn’t that bothered by it.

No, he’s not a good passer yet. He doesn’t read the floor as quickly or score as efficiently as a great 6’4” NBA player needs to. But teammates like him. Coaches like him. The organization, who will never try to do anything but pay players less money — I mean extract surplus value — likes him.

There are plenty of players about as valuable to an NBA team as Cam Thomas is. Most of them just aren’t as good at basketball — have you seen the shots he hits?

Right after Zach Lowe reported the infamous consensus on Thomas, he asked Nekias Duncan what to make of the whole situation. Duncan characteristically responded with five minutes of very nerdy praise for CT, some of the most flattering analysis of his game that’s been spoken on any national platform.

Lowe added: “I’ve always said, ‘there’s something here with Cam Thomas. There’s something.’ And he did grow. I just don’t have any faith that — I still think the something is, this is a guy that can come off the bench on a good team and just go nuts for five minutes while the best players are resting and hopefully carry our offense. I’m not sure that I want him starting at any point on a good team.”

Here are two vital questions to consider. Is Cam Thomas good enough to be a leading ball-handler and/or scorer on a great team? If he’s in a supporting role, where’s he making a positive impact?

You can probably sense where I stand. But let me throw a couple more questions at you.

If fellow #27 overall pick Danny Wolf turns out to be as valuable as Thomas by the end of his rookie contract, would Brooklyn Nets fans be happy? And if Thomas had gotten taken in the top-ten of the 2021 NBA Draft instead of falling to the end of the first round, would he be stuck in free agent purgatory four years later?

Is this what Cam Thomas and the Brooklyn Nets deserve? Or is life just unfair?

Probably both.

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/7/21...in-an-inevitable-purgatory-analysis-zach-lowe

 

[Brooklyn Nets]

Brooklyn Nets coach: ‘We love Cam Thomas ... We’ve never wavered’

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The latest chapter in the Cam Thomas saga provides more than a modicum of hope that the Nets and their high scorer will get things done.

Keith Smith, writing for Spotrac, unloaded his Summer League notebook Monday after talking with Eastern Conference coaches and executives during the Summer League. In doing so, he provided a big dump on how the Brooklyn Nets see their off-season so far. The biggest news: Brooklyn loves Cam Thomas ... always has.

“We love Cam. We think he’s one of the best scoring guards in the league, and an underrated playmaker. We’ll see what happens, but our feelings about Cam as a player and person have never wavered. We love him,” Smith quoted a Nets coach, not further identified told Smith. The veteran NBA writer did not say when he got the quote, whether it was before of after his series of tweets attacking NBA writer Zach Lowe and the consensus that he’s a “low calories ball-hog.”

Thomas, of course, remains a restricted free agent, one of the biggest in the NBA and social media has been filled with speculation that the Nets front office may be low-balling him or at the least not engaging in “significant” talks yet as Jake Fischer of The Steinline reported the day before Thomas’ tweets.

Smith also quoted the coach and a Nets front office executive on a number of developments in Brooklyn’s draft and free agency, from Michael Porter Jr.’s scoring potential to how pleased they were with Egor Demin’s performance.

Asked about the two players the Nets picked up in salary dumps: Porter Jr. and Terance Mann, the front office executive had this to say.

“We’re transitioning our roster, of course. We’re going to play a lot of young players. But we need some vets to balance that. And, of course, we need to score some points,” the executive said. “Porter will help us a ton there. I’m not saying he’ll win the scoring title, but I think it could be close. And Terance will help with everything. He’s such a good connector. He’s going to help our young ballhandlers a ton with learning the NBA.”

MPJ spent most of his six-year Nuggets career, including the team’s championship season in 2022-23, as Denver’s third option behind Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray. He averaged 18.2 points last season on 50/40/80 shooting splits.

A coach also confirmed that the Nets wanted Egor Demin to prioritize shooting over playmaking, an experiment that the coach said worked. Demin shot 43.5% from deep on 7.7 attempts per game.

“Yeah, his role here (Summer League) was WAY different than what we’re going to ask him to do in the regular season. But that’s what this is for, right? We tasked him to shoot it from deep and to shoot it a lot. He did exactly as he was asked,” the coach said. “We know about the playmaking. This was a chance to see if he could get his shot off against NBA-level defenders. He did and those shots went in a lot too. We couldn’t be happier with his work here.”

Smith asked as well about the overall strategy of drafting five first rounders rather than consolidating some of them. Indeed, the Nets went into the day before the Draft with four first rounders then added another that night, adding to the surprise. The executive admitted the decision came after attempts to trade at least some of them.

“Kind of crazy, right? But the value to trade those picks against the players we could get just wasn’t there,” the executive said. “Now, we have to be very intentional this year. Being as young as we are is pretty fragile. But we’re excited for the challenge.”

The executive also told Smith that the organization believes that there is enough difference among the point guards to dismiss concerns that the team duplicated skillsets. He also noted that both Ben Saraf and Nolan Traore were “wiped out” after long seasons. Traore finished his season at Saint Quentin in France three weeks before the Draft while Saraf played in the German League championship final the day after the Nets took him.

“A lot of people see them as being similar players, and that’s somewhat fair. But we think they can play together. Look at OKC and Indiana. They play a lot of ballhandlers and creators,” said the exec. “We’re not too worried about the shooting here (Summer League). Both guys just finished up their seasons overseas. They were both pretty wiped out.”

The executive also explained to Smith how while Day’Ron Sharpe and Ziaire Williams remain unsigned, the Nets plan on bringing them back.

“We want to be careful that we aren’t just casting off every guy who isn’t on a rookie deal. That’s not good for an organization to get that kind of rep,” the executive told Smith. “Those guys and their reps put their faith in us to use our flexibility this summer, while still taking care of them.

“We’ve still got some cap space, but there’s a clock on that. But we love both Day’Ron and Ziaire and everything they were for us last year and before. We’re young, obviously, but we want some young vets to show the new guys the way. Those two are a big part of that.”

According to reports, both players have agreed to two-year, $12 million deals with a team option on the second year but Sean Marks & co. are holding off on signing them. They reportedly want to see how best the team can use its cap space ... and room MLE in the final days of free agency. The same issue applies to Thomas. As for the executive’s comment on that how there’s a “clock” running on their signings, Smith noted how Brooklyn remains under the salary floor.

As Smith explained, if a team has not reached the salary floor by the start of the regular season, a cap hold for the difference is put on the team’s cap sheet. The Nets have until October 21 to get above the floor. They’re currently $17.5 million short and that calculation already includes both the Sharpe and Williams deals.

Source: https://www.netsdaily.com/2025/7/21...s-coach-we-love-cam-thomas-weve-never-wavered