After a market never materialized, restricted free agent Cam Thomas chose to bet on himself, accepting a $6 million qualifying offer that will give him full control of his future. The Pistons could be facing a similar situation with Jaden Ivey, and we may see a similar result.
Thomas’ decision was a hot topic of conversation on a recent episode of The Zach Lowe Show, with Lowe and Kirk Goldsberry discussing whether Thomas made a smart choice to bet on himself. He was reportedly offered $30 million for two years with a team option for the second season, far less than he wanted.
But the hosts made a good point when asking how much players like this are really worth in today’s NBA, when teams are increasingly getting stingy with big contracts for non-superstars to avoid the dreaded tax aprons.
A few years ago, Ivey probably would have received a rubber-stamp extension, but now teams have to be cautious when offering big deals, as the penalties for exceeding the aprons are far more severe in terms of dollars and also team-building.
You can argue whether Jaden Ivey is or will be better than Cam Thomas, but as score-first shooting guards who aren’t great defenders, they are in a similar category of player, which is why we may see the Pistons play hardball.
It’s a low offer from the Pistons or Jaden Ivey is going to restricted free agency
Restricted free agency has been very restricted over the past several years, as we’ve seen very few offer sheets being extended. There weren’t any this offseason, so teams can stand their ground and not give out deals they aren’t comfortable with, which is what we’ve seen with guys like Jonathan Kuminga and Josh Giddey.
These guys want huge deals their teams aren’t willing to give, so they are either going to have to accept shorter offers, take less money or go the route Thomas did and bet on themselves by accepting the qualifying offer.
There will be more teams with cap space next summer, but we could see a tepid market for Jaden Ivey, just as we saw with Thomas, so the Pistons won’t be at any real risk of losing him, as they can match any offer sheet, and given what we’ve seen recently, there may not be one coming.
I’m sure there is a number the Pistons would extend Ivey at right now, but it’s one that is likely far away from what Ivey wants. If Ivey would accept the offer Thomas was given (2 years/$30 million) with a team option, the Pistons may be interested.
Ivey can potentially secure more with a big season, in which case the Pistons will be happy to give it to him, but we may see this play out like the Thomas situation in Brooklyn.