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The Houston Rockets are keeping star guard Amen Thompson around for the long haul. According to ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania, Thompson and the Rockets have agreed to a five-year, $208 million rookie-scale contract extension. MORE: Titans revoke Jared Stillman’s press credential before 2026 NFL season The deal also includes a 10% trade kicker. Thompson has been fantastic since the Rockets selected him with the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. He has played in 210 games, averaging 14.3 points, 7.6 rebounds, and four assists per game. He had the best season of his career in 2025-26, averaging 18.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game. He also ranked eighth in total steals and fourth in loose ball recoveries. The Rockets will hope that he can secure his first season averaging 20 points per game in 2026-27. Rockets’ 2025-26 season The Rockets had a great regular season in 2025-26, finishing with a 52-30 record. They qualified for the NBA playoffs before losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round. The Lakers won the first three games of the series before the Rockets staved off elimination twice but couldn’t do it a third time. This was the second season in a row that the Rockets have lost in the first round. Looking ahead to 2026-27 The Rockets will begin their 2026-27 season on Oct. 21 against the Dallas Mavericks. Tip-off will be at 8:30 p.m. ET. — Enjoy free coverage of the top news & trending stories with The Big Lead Newsletter —