Houston has settled its most important piece of long-term business. Amen Thompson and the Rockets agreed a five-year, $208m rookie-scale extension on Wednesday, with an average annual value of $41.6m and a 10% trade kicker attached. ESPN’s Shams Charania was first to report the deal.

The new money does not start until the 2027-28 season. Thompson, 23, is still on the final year of the rookie contract he signed after being taken fourth overall in the 2023 draft, worth $12.3m for the coming season. His new deal then runs through 2031-32.

The numbers behind the bet

Thompson was one of only nine players in the NBA last season to average at least 18 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists per game. His full line: 18.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists with 1.5 steals on 53.4% shooting from the field, spread across 79 starts.

He also led the league in total minutes played at 2,943 and was named to the All-Defensive first team. Opponents shot 42.8% when he was the closest defender, 15th best among 188 qualifying players.

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The three-point shot is still the obvious hole in the profile. Thompson finished the season at 21.6% from behind the arc, so Houston’s willingness to hand him $208m without a proven jumper is a bet on the rest of his game continuing to pull the shooting up with it.

Houston’s plan around him

The Rockets consider Thompson the only untouchable name on the roster, and the extension puts that on paper. Head coach Ime Udoka now has his defensive centrepiece tied down alongside Kevin Durant, who arrived to lead the veteran core, with Fred VanVleet back at point guard and Alperen Sengun anchoring the frontcourt.

Thompson’s contract was not the only long-term commitment Houston made this week. The Rockets also signed restricted free agent Tari Eason to a five-year, $81.5m deal, keeping intact a young wing group that also includes Jabari Smith Jr. and Reed Sheppard.

Houston’s season ended in a first-round exit to the Los Angeles Lakers, in which Thompson’s scoring lifted to 19.2 points per game. The Rockets have used the summer to raise the ceiling around him, and now they have him signed through the same window in which they intend to compete for the championship.

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