Victor Wembanyama has reportedly agreed to sign a $252 million max extension with the San Antonio Spurs. One fellow 2023 draftee should receive some good news on that front this offseason. The Houston Rockets are expected to agree to a lucrative Amen Thompson extension before the deadline in October. But would a $250 million max extension for Thompson be good news for the Rockets?
Will Amen Thompson Extension Be A Max?
Thompson, the fourth pick in the 2023 draft, was supposedly the only player that the Rockets flagged as unavailable this offseason. It’s not too hard to see why. Thompson finished fifth in DPOY voting in his second year in the league. In his third year, he leveled up his offense. He averaged 18.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.6 blocks per game in 2025-26.
Despite all that, the gulf between Thompson and Wembanyama has never looked larger. Wembanyama just lifted a youthful Spurs team to the NBA Finals. He was second in MVP voting. He was the NBA’s first unanimous Defensive Player of the Year. He may already be the most impactful player in the league.
Then there’s Thompson, who is very, very good… but not even an All-Star. Even more troubling for max talk is that, in year four, Thompson is still averaging just 21.6% on 1.5 threes per game. Progress as a three-point shooter has completely stagnated. It’s hard at this point to project Thompson as a number-one-option franchise player.
So why are the Rockets expected in some quarters to sign Thompson to a similar deal? Well, first of all, Wembanyama’s contract doesn’t really reflect his value. His DPOY award made him eligible for 30% of the cap, rather than the standard max 25%, but he took a discount to help the team. Secondly, don’t be surprised if the Rockets wriggle their way out of a max. There’s certainly recent precedent.
Rockets Deals Leading Up To Amen Thompson Extension
Under General Manager Rafael Stone, the Rockets have been smart with recent rookie-scale extensions. Two-time All-Star Alperen Sengun is arguably on one of the best-value contracts in the league. The low-post wizard is due to make $35.6 million in 2026-27. He’ll make only slightly more in 2027-28 and 2028-29 before a player option in 2029-2030. Pretty good for a second-option-level talent. The Rockets had the advantage that Sengun wanted security after an injury sidelined him for the end of 2023-24. But that bargain is far from a one-off.
Take Jabari Smith Jr. He signed a rookie-scale contract extension of just $122 million over five years. Smith is well short of All-Star-level production, but he’s a solid role player with upside. In particular, Smith has an incredibly valuable niche as a six-foot-eleven floor spacer with above-average perimeter defense and rim protection.
Then there’s Jalen Green. Green’s contract shows just how creative this Rockets front office can get. Three years and $106 million, the extension was a league first. The Rockets got Green to agree to less money in the short term with a player option in the third year. That relatively low-footprint contract made Green a suitable high-upside centerpiece in the trade to acquire Kevin Durant.
Finally, with Tari Eason, the Rockets showed a willingness to take negotiations all the way to restricted free agency. Despite the drama, the Rockets’ Eason deal turned out to be another win for the stoic Rafael Stone. At 5 years, $81 million, Eason’s contract should be another great source of value for the Rockets.
So, did the Rockets really pull off all these savvy moves to lump themselves with a $250 million max extension for Thompson? It’s possible. The franchise is extremely high on Thompson. But it seems unlikely.
The NBA Landscape Around Amen Thompson Extension
The recent Jaylen Brown saga is a perfect illustration of the changing NBA. After 10 years, an NBA title, and a Finals MVP with the Boston Celtics, Brown is now a Philadelphia 76er. The reason? He will make nearly $65 million in 2028-29.
Because of the current apron structure of the NBA’s salary cap system, signing non-max-level players to max contracts is unavoidably going out of fashion. Not even small market teams trying to keep ticket sellers around are interested anymore. LaMelo Ball and Trae Young were both shipped out despite their fan bases’ adoration.
The Rockets are high on Thompson. Even so, between Thompson’s limitations, the Rockets’ recent deals, and the current economic environment of the league, there’s plenty of reason to think a deal will eventually fall short of a max. Of course, that still leaves plenty of room for a cap-crunching overpay. There’s no telling how protracted negotiations could affect the long-term relationship either. Hopefully, Amen and the Rockets can be amenable to each other’s priorities. And if not, nothing makes amends like winning.
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