The Rockets and guard Kevin Porter Jr. have agreed to a four-year contract extension worth $82.5 million, according to Shams Charania and Kelly Iko of The Athletic.
Only the first year of the deal is guaranteed, Charania and Iko added.
Porter, 22, is 6-foot-4 and is entering his fourth NBA season, and third with Houston. He was originally drafted by the Pistons with the No. 30 overall pick in 2019, then immediately traded to the Cavaliers.
He was then traded by the Cavs to the Rockets ahead of the 2020-21 season, following an incident in which he reportedly shouted at Cavs president of basketball operations Koby Altman in the locker room. That followed his arrest on a weapons charge that stemmed from a one-person car accident.
On the court, Porter has been viewed as a key part of the Rockets’ relaunch, averaging 15.6 points and a career-high 4.8 rebounds in 61 games last season, shooting 42 percent from the field.
“If Porter’s entire first-year salary is really fully guaranteed and it’s only worth $15.86MM, that means the total base value of the extension can only be worth up to about $71MM with 8% annual raises, so the reported $82.5MM total value may include incentives,” wrote Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors.
Per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, both Rockets GM Rafael Stone and coach Stephen Silas have “invested significant time and energy into Porter Jr., on and off the court.”
Looking for the latest NBA Insider News & Rumors?
Be sure to follow Hoops Wire on TWITTER and FACEBOOK for breaking NBA News and Rumors for all 30 teams!
