The Houston Rockets made their intentions clear on Thursday, locking up Amen Thompson to a reported five-year, $208 million contract extension.
Amen Thompson Cashes In After a Breakout Season
The deal, first reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania, includes a 10% trade kicker and will keep Thompson in Houston through the 2032 season. Thompson is entering the final year of his rookie-scale contract and will earn $12.3 million this season before the new money begins next summer.
Rockets general manager Rafael Stone praised Thompson’s two-way ability and relentless work ethic, saying the 23-year-old embodies what the franchise wants to stand for and that his game has grown every year he has been in the league.
The fourth overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, Thompson led the league in minutes played last season and set career highs across the board. He averaged 18.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.5 steals a game while shooting 53.4% from the field, numbers that also earned him a spot on the 2024-25 NBA All-Defensive First Team.
Much of that production came from a versatile role. Thompson slid over to play point guard for long stretches while Fred VanVleet was sidelined, showing he could initiate offense as comfortably as he defends the opposing team’s best scorer.
Elite Company
Only nine players in the league hit at least 18 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists per game last season. Thompson made that list alongside Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jayson Tatum, remarkable company for a player just entering his prime.
The extension adds Thompson to a young core that already includes Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason, all locked into multiyear deals in Houston. The Rockets finished fifth in the Western Conference last season before falling in six games to the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round, and this latest commitment signals a team building for a longer playoff run.
