NBA Moves: Heat, Pelle Larsson, Pistons, Ausar Thompson, Pacers

Heat

Miami made it official. Pelle Larsson’s four-year, $60 million extension is signed, the Heat announced today.

The Swedish wing agreed last Friday, agents Austin Brown and Steven Heumann told Shams Charania of ESPN. He still makes $2.3 million this season after Miami picked up his team option in June. Without the new deal, he was headed for restricted free agency in 2027.

The extension starts in 2027-28 at about $13.5 million and climbs from there, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported. The fourth year is a mutual option. Keith Smith of Spotrac noted it comes in under the projected non-taxpayer mid-level for that season. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald compared it to the four-year, $62.4 million rookie-scale deal Nikola Jovic got from the Heat a year ago.

Larsson was the 44th pick in 2024. Houston selected him; Miami grabbed the rights in a draft-night trade. He signed a three-year minimum deal and then became useful. After 4.6 points in 14.2 minutes as a rookie, he averaged 11.4 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 26.4 minutes last season, starting 54 of 70 games.

Spoelstra kept praising the dirty work and the unselfish plays. Charania called him a foundational piece expected to play a major rotation role this year. He also carried Sweden this summer in World Cup qualifying.

Second-rounders who stick in Miami usually do it this way. Larsson just got paid for it.

Pistons

Detroit locked up Ausar Thompson. The five-year, $155 million rookie-scale extension is official, the team announced.

Shams Charania of ESPN first reported the agreement Friday. The deal is fully guaranteed and carries no options, Hunter Patterson of The Athletic confirmed. Thompson makes $11.12 million this season in the last year of his rookie contract. The new money starts in 2027-28 at roughly $31 million a year — the same base Keyonte George got from Utah, minus the small incentives.

Thompson finished third in Defensive Player of the Year voting last season and made All-Defensive first team. He averaged 9.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists, a league-best 2.0 steals and 0.9 blocks in 73 games for a 60-win Pistons team. In 14 playoff games he posted 8.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.8 blocks.

The fifth pick in 2023 is still a non-shooter — 20.4 percent from three for his career, 60 percent from the line. Detroit has been better with him on the floor anyway. Size, strength, anticipation and rebounding cover a lot.

He and twin brother Amen are the first brothers in NBA history to each sign contracts worth $100 million or more. Amen got five years and $208 million from Houston earlier this month.

The Pistons are still talking with restricted free agent Jalen Duren. Charania reported Detroit’s offer had climbed into the $190 million-plus range, then to about $200 million. Duren wants more. That one is still open.

Pacers

James Johnson is back in camp. The 39-year-old forward agreed to a non-guaranteed training-camp contract with Exhibit 9 language, sources told Jake Fischer of The Stein Line and Bleacher Report. Tony East of Circle City Spin reported the same and said Johnson was already in Nashville for the players-only mini-camp.

He has 16 years in the league and 786 regular-season games across 10 teams. Career line: 7.4 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists in 19.8 minutes. Since 2022 he has mostly been a locker-room piece in Indiana — 39 appearances and 246 minutes from 2022-25, plus five games in the 2025 Finals run.

The Pacers did not have a roster spot for him last season. He said he was not retiring. Indiana currently sits about $2.2 million under the first-apron hard cap with 14 guaranteed standard contracts. A full veteran minimum would cost $2.45 million, so he almost certainly will not make opening night unless salary comes off the books.

Indiana can add a 15th man on a prorated minimum starting Nov. 5. Johnson has done this before. In 2023-24 he signed four separate deals with Indiana between December and February.