Pistons, Ausar Thompson Agree to $155M Extension

The Detroit Pistons and Ausar Thompson agreed to a fully guaranteed five-year, $155 million rookie-scale extension averaging $31 million per season, ending an offseason-long contract standstill. Thompson, 23 and the No. 5 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, earned first-team All-Defense honors last season, finished third in Defensive Player of the Year voting, led the NBA in steals per game, and averaged 9.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists. Twin brother Amen Thompson signed a five-year, $208 million extension with the Houston Rockets in early September; reports describe them as the highest-paid set of twins in NBA history and the first brothers each to receive contracts worth at least $100 million. The Pistons fell short in Game 7 to the Cavaliers in the second round of the 2026 playoffs. ClutchPoints states Amen's deal influenced the market price for Ausar's contract and notes a comparison to Jaden McDaniels' five-year, $131 million rookie extension in October 2023. Detroit continues talks with restricted free agent Jalen Duren amid reports of a possible Kings deal. There are no contested claims on the extension terms. Next steps center on the Duren negotiations and the 2026-27 season.