Look back at Kevin Porter Jr.’s best plays from the 2021-22 season after signing an extension with the Rockets. (1:35)
Houston Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr. has agreed to a four-year, $82.5 million contract extension, his agent Sam Permut of RocNation Sports told ESPN on Monday.
The extension has a unique structure that allows for significant upside for Porter Jr. and protections for the Rockets. The deal’s first season is guaranteed, and future seasons have several mechanisms to fully guarantee, sources said.
Porter Jr., 26, landed the extension ahead of Monday’s 6 PM ET deadline for players out of the NBA draft class of 2019.
Houston GM Rafael Stone and coach Stephen Silas has invested significant time and energy into Porter Jr., on and off the court, and his growth has given them reason to keep developing him as one of the franchise’s young cornerstones.
While there have been unquestioned challenges in Porter Jr.’s development – including the Cleveland Cavaliers trading him to Rockets in 2021 for a late second-round pick unlikely to ever convey – his extension offers him a chance to earn-out financially if he continues his growth into a fully reliable player.
One thing that’s never been in question with Porter Jr. is his talent. He finished the 2021-2022 strong for Houston, averaging 28.7 points, 7.3 rebounds and 7.4 assists in the final seven games, according to ESPN Stats and Information. In that stretch, he had consecutive 35-point games, the youngest player in Rockets history to do so.
Porter Jr., showed significant improvement in his three-point shooting a season ago, improving 6.5 percent to 37.5 percent – the fifth-largest increase among 163 players to attempt 150 threes in each of the last two seasons, according to ESPN Stats and Info. His 48 percent on catch-and-shoot three-pointers ranked him in the Top 5 among players with at least 100 attempts, per Second Spectrum tracking.
Rockets, Kevin Porter Jr. agree to 4-yr, $82.5M extension
- Advertisment - 