The Houston Rockets locked up a member of their young core Thursday morning, agreeing to a five-year $208 million contract extension with Amen Thompson, which equates to an average annual value of $41.6 million per season. The deal also includes a 10% trade kicker if Thompson were to be moved in the future.
Overall this was a sound move made by Rockets general manager Rafael Stone. Signing Thompson well below the value of a max contract ($255 million) will give Houston more flexibility moving forward. Additionally, had the Rockets waited until next summer, Thompson may have had the chance to earn a supermax deal if he were to make an All-NBA Team, win an MVP award or win the Defensive Player of the Year Award. Considering one of those three outcomes isn't out of the realm of possibility, the Rockets saved even more money by reaching an agreement with Thompson as soon as they did.
With two seasons remaining on Kevin Durant's deal, Houston has put themselves in a position to succeed with their young core following his eventual retirement.
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This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: Grading Amen Thompson's five-year contract extension with the Rockets
