Jabari Smith to sign $122 million extension to his rookie contract with Rockets
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Jabari Smith to sign $122 million extension to his rookie contract with Rockets
Jabari Smith is signing a five-year, $122 million extension with the Houston Rockets. The deal secures Smith’s services with the Rockets through the 2030-31 season. 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. Smith averaged 12.2 points, 7 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game last season while shooting 43.8% from the floor and 35.4% from 3-point distance.
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. The deal ensures that Smith 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 Holmgren are both eligible for max extensions that could be worth up to $247 million over five years.
Jabari Smith has agreed to sign with the Rockets through the 2030-31 season. (Alex Slitz/Getty Images) (Alex Slitz via Getty Images)
While Banchero is an All-Star and Holmgren 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 last season from the lottery to the playoffs as the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.
A 6-foot-11 stretch forward, Smith averaged 12.2 points, 7 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game last season while shooting 43.8% from the floor and 35.4% from 3-point distance. He’s a key rotation player on a roster that features emerging stars Alperen Şengün and Amen Thompson alongside veteran point guard Fred VanVleet, who agreed last week to a two-year, $50 million contract to remain with the Rockets.
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With the addition of Durant via last week’s trade that sent Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks to the Phoenix Suns, Houston seeks to take the next step into contention for an NBA championship. Houston finished second in the West with a 50-32 record last season, but lost in the first round of the playoffs to an experienced Golden State Warriors team.
The offseason flurry of transactions in Houston signals the team’s intent to compete for a title season and beyond.
Rockets to sign Smith Jr. to 5-year extension
The Houston Rockets and Jabari Smith Jr. have agreed to a five-year, $122million rookie contract extension. Smith, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, will be under contract through the 2030-31 season. Move comes on the heels of Houston acquiring Kevin Durant and on the eve of the NBA’s free agent negotiation period.
Smith, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, will be under contract through the 2030-31 season.
The move comes on the heels of Houston acquiring Kevin Durant and on the eve of the NBA’s free agent negotiation period, which begins Monday night.
No deals can become official until the start of the league year on July 6.
Smith’s offensive production has been underwhelming at times, but his athleticism and two-way game helped a young Rockets team to a 52-30 record last season and a No. 2 seed in the West.
Smith transitioned to a bench role last season but still played over 30 minutes per game, averaging 12.2 points and 7.0 rebounds in 57 games.
In three seasons with the Rockets, Smith has averaged 13.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists.
Even after last season’s first-round play-off exit, the Rockets appear intent on moving into the contenders’ tier next season.
While the Durant trade has been the most notable transaction, Houston has also signed coach Ime Udoka and backup center Steven Adams to extensions, while retaining Fred VanVleet, Jae’Sean Tate, Jeff Green and Aaron Holiday this offseason.
NBA: Rockets rewarded Jabari Smith Jr. with 5-year, $122M extension — reports
Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. has agreed to a five-year, $122 million extension of his rookie contract. Smith, 22, has averaged 13.0 points and 7.5 rebounds across three NBA seasons since the Rockets selected him third overall in the 2022 draft.
The Houston Rockets and forward Jabari Smith Jr. agreed to a five-year, $122 million extension of his rookie contract, ESPN and The Athletic reported Sunday.
Smith, 22, has averaged 13.0 points and 7.5 rebounds across three NBA seasons since the Rockets selected him third overall in the 2022 draft. He put up 12.2 points and 7.0 rebounds per game over 57 games (39 starts) in 2024-25.
Smith helped the Rockets earn the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference playoffs, though Houston then lost a seven-game series to the Golden State Warriors in the first round.
The Rockets responded by making a blockbuster trade to acquire Kevin Durant from the Phoenix Suns. Durant joins a Houston core that includes Smith, Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson and Fred VanVleet, with VanVleet reported to receive a two-year, $50 million contract to remain with the Rockets — Field Level Media/Reuters