While Ja Morant’s falloff was largely self-inflicted, it could’ve warned Houston of possible troubles to come in their future.
Earlier today, the Houston Rockets made what is likely to be their final move of this offseason. Rather than bringing in any new faces, Rafael Stone managed to lock down a two way player with superstar potential. After agreeing to a fully guaranteed 208 million dollar extension, Amen Thompson is now signed until the end of the 2032 season.
To be fair, more details are likely to come out in the coming days, much like with Tari Eason’s five year extension earlier this summer. There wasn’t initially a team or player option in the final year of this deal either, but now we know he has a player option in 2030-2031.
Regardless, Thompson’s contract is currently fully guaranteed and won’t kick in until the 2027-2028 season next fall. Unlike Eason’s contract, however, Amen Thompson reportedly got a 10-percent trade kicker included in his deal. This shouldn’t really come as any surprise with how highly the front office views this twin, but it still is a big commitment.
An average of $41.6 million is no small number, and actually more than one quarter of the $164.961 million salary cap this season, as seen on the NBA’s website. Thankfully, he’ll probably start with a number below $40 million and see increases every year, along with the amount each team can spend going up as well.
Still, we’ve seen teams get destroyed by contracts like this in the past, so I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous. The Memphis Grizzlies are all too familiar with a supremely talented and uber-athletic guard not being able to make a jumper. Ja Morant’s fall from stardom caused them to jump into an impromptu rebuild.
Four years ago, he signed a five-year extension worth $197.2 million, and he had already played in an All-Star game to that point. He also won Rookie of the Year. Like it or not, Ja Morant was more deserving of that contract than Amen Thompson at this point. Nobody could’ve predicted his fall from grace, or the Grizzlies struggling to trade his $39.45 million dollar contract.
Unfortunately, it’s not that hard to imagine a world where Thompson doesn’t live up to this deal. While I don’t expect him to disappoint, I’d be lying if I said I couldn’t imagine it. He’s already gotten the Ben Simmons and Russell Westbrook treatment, with defenders essentially guarding him from the paint when he’s beyond the arc.
His defense will always be valuable, but do you really want to pay an offensive liability that much money? Think of how many people say Rudy Gobert and Draymond Green are overpaid, and they have Defensive Player of the Year awards.
This extension definitely backs up all of the talk the Houston’s front office has been doing. They’ve said they see Amen Thompson as the only truly untouchable player on the team, and they put their money where their mouth is. A gamble in some respects, but I can appreciate their confidence nonetheless.
