The Rockets have locked in Amen Thompson for the long haul.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Houston and Thompson have agreed to a five-year rookie scale extension worth $208MM. The deal also includes a 10% trade kicker. Thompson is set to make roughly $12.3MM in 2026/27, the final year of the four-year rookie contract he signed in 2023, before the new extension kicks in next summer and runs through the 2031/32 season.
Thompson, the No. 4 pick in the 2023 draft, has steadily carved out a bigger piece of the Rockets’ rotation across his three seasons in Houston. His breakout on the defensive end was already clear last season, when he earned All-Defensive first team honors and finished fifth in Defensive Player of the Year voting. He then backed that up in ’25/26 by leading the NBA in total minutes played at 2,953 while posting career highs in points per game (18.3), assists per game (5.3), and steals per game (1.5).
Houston’s numbers with Thompson on the floor underline how much he matters to the team’s overall shape. The Rockets posted a net rating of +6.6 with him in the game, while that figure dropped to a team-low +1.6 when he sat.
He also had to take on more of the offense after Fred VanVleet’s ACL tear removed the starting point guard from the lineup. Thompson’s usage rate climbed to a career-best 20.0% during the regular season.
With this deal, the Rockets have now reached long-term agreements with five of their first-round picks from the 2021-23 drafts, and Thompson’s contract is the biggest of the group. Alperen Sengun signed a five-year, $185MM deal, Jabari Smith Jr. got five years and $122MM, and Tari Eason landed five years and $81.5MM. Jalen Green, who extended with Houston in 2024 on a three-year, $105MM deal, was later sent to Phoenix in last year’s Kevin Durant trade.
Thompson is also the second player from the 2023 draft class to land a rookie scale extension, joining Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama, who agreed to a five-year maximum-salary contract projected at $252.3MM. There are still 20 players around the league who remain eligible for rookie scale extensions before the October 19 deadline.
Earlier this week, Rory Maher projected Thompson’s next deal in the $40-45MM annual range in a Front Office article. The final number lands at $41.6MM per year, with the trade kicker offering a possible boost if Thompson is moved before the contract expires.
In Other News...
Rockets Just Made A Huge Statement About Amen Thompsons Future
Amen Thompsons rise in Houston has moved from promise to priority, with the Rockets locking in the former No. 4 pick as a central part of their long-term plan. Over his first three seasons, Thompson has already put himself on a very short list of young players whose impact stretches well beyond scoring, earning All-Defensive First Team honors and logging more minutes than anyone else in the league last season.
For a Rockets team built around a fast-growing young core, the agreement sends a clear message about where the franchise believes Thompson fits. The extension will begin after his current rookie contract, giving Houston stability around one of its most important pieces while also signaling confidence that his two-way value is only going to keep climbing. [Read more 🡒]
Rockets Just Made Their Biggest Bet Yet On Amen Thompson
Amen Thompsons rise has gone from promising to unavoidable, and the Rockets have now put a major stamp on that belief. After showing enough in his early days to convince the front office he can be part of the franchises core, Thompson has settled in as one of the most important young pieces on a roster still being shaped around upside, athleticism and long-term growth.
Houston is betting that Thompsons current skill set is only the beginning, because the real appeal is what he could become as the team pushes toward contention. The commitment also puts him near the top of the payroll picture, a sign of how much the Rockets value his trajectory and how central they expect him to be when the next version of this team is ready to matter. [Read more 🡒]
Kevin Durant Just Raised The Stakes On Houstons Title Push
Kevin Durants arrival has already changed the way the Rockets are viewed, but the bigger test comes over the next stretch, when Houston tries to prove it belongs in the title conversation rather than just the playoff field. The 16-time All-Star brings the kind of pedigree and late-season gravity that can alter a contenders ceiling, and the Rockets will need that to matter as they navigate a Western Conference landscape that still includes the Spurs and Thunder.
What makes the situation especially interesting is how much the teams postseason arc could shape what comes next. Durants past playoff track record and his current level of production point toward a partnership that could last, but Houstons ability to win when the games tighten up will carry real weight in the bigger picture. For a franchise trying to move from promising to dangerous, that leaves the Rockets with both a chance and a measuring stick all at once. [Read more 🡒]