Jabari Smith is signing a five-year, $122 million extension to his rookie contract with the Houston Rockets, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports.
The deal secures Smith’s services with the Rockets through the 2030-31 season as Houston locks up its core around the newly acquired Kevin Durant and ensures that he won’t test free agency next offseason. Smith will sign the extension with one year remaining on his four-year, $40.3 million rookie contract.
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Smith, 22, was the No. 3 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft behind Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero and newly crowned NBA champion Chet Holmgren. Banchero and Smith are both eligible for max extensions that could be worth up to $247 million over five years.
While Banchero is an All-Star and Holmgren’s flashed All-Star upside as an integral player in Oklahoma City’s run to the NBA championship, Smith has settled in as a role player for a Rockets team that made the leap from the lottery last season to the playoffs as the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.
A 6-foot-11 stretch forward, Smith averaged 12.2 points, seven rebounds and 1.1 assists per game last season while shooting 43.8% from the floor and 35.4% from 3-point distance.
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