Ausar Thompson’s next contract could land a lot closer to Dyson Daniels than to his twin brother.
The Detroit Pistons would like to get an extension done with Thompson this offseason, but the number is where things get tricky. Houston already established the top end of the market by giving Amen Thompson $205 million, yet that deal does not look like a clean comparison for Ausar.
The brothers share DNA, not the same value on the floor. Amen is clearly the better offensive player, and while Ausar has the edge defensively, that advantage is not dramatic enough to put him in the same financial neighborhood.
On the Game Theory Podcast, the case was made that Ausar Thompson probably should not be anywhere near $200 million. The better comp, according to the hosts, is Daniels, who signed a four-year, $100 million extension.
That deal fits the range Detroit would likely prefer. Daniels’ third season is the kind of benchmark that helps explain why: he put up 14 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists while shooting 49/34/59. He also won Most Improved Player, finished second in Defensive Player of the Year voting after leading the league in steals, and made the All-Defense first team.
Ausar’s third season looked similar in some ways, though not enough to push him much higher. He averaged 10 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists on 52/25/57 shooting. He, too, led the league in steals, finished third in DPOY voting and earned a spot on the All-Defense first team.
The basic profile is the same: elite defense, real offensive limitations. Daniels showed that again last season when his scoring dipped. But if the comparison is strictly the season before the extension, Ausar does not have a strong case to top Daniels’ number, and by the raw production, he might even land below it.
That’s not likely to sit well with Thompson, especially after seeing what his twin brother received. Detroit, though, is looking at a player it believes in as its second-best option, and the team will point to the fact that Ausar still has not made the kind of offensive jump Daniels made in his third year.
The Pistons may end up paying more than Daniels’ $100 million, but probably not by much. Thompson’s camp could try to use Jalen Suggs and Keegan Murray as reference points, though those contracts are now seen as bad deals and are not the kind of benchmark Detroit wants to follow.
A compromise somewhere in the $25-30 million per year range looks like the most likely landing spot. Even then, the Pistons may have to dig in again, and if Thompson decides to do what Jalen Duren did and bet on himself next season, this one could drag on a while longer.
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