The Rockets intend to sign Jabari Smith Jr. to a five-year rookie extension worth $122MM, reports ESPN’s Shams Charania (via Twitter).
Smith was in and out of the Rockets’ starting lineup this season, but is presumed to be in line to take the starting power forward role following the Rockets’ trade for Kevin Durant.
The No. 3 pick in the 2022 draft, Smith posted a career-low in points per game as his role fluctuated and he dealt with injuries, but the appeal of his skill set in the modern game is clear. Smith has averaged 13.1 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks while shooting 35.9% on 4.9 three-point attempts per game over the previous two seasons.
A tough-minded defender with a capable jump shot and some untapped potential as a shot creator, Smith will slot into a primarily off-ball role offensively next to Fred VanVleet, Alperen Sengun, and Durant, while helping create a defensive infrastructure as a skilled weak-side rim protector next to Sengun and Amen Thompson.
This contract will lock up the talented young power forward through the 2030/31 season. The Athletic’s Kelly Iko confirms (via Twitter) that the deal is fully guaranteed and contains no team or player options.
ESPN’s Bobby Marks expressed some surprise at how early the deal got done, as typically the first week of free agency remains the providence of players receiving max contracts, which Smith did not.
The Rockets still have Tari Eason‘s extension eligibility to consider, so whether the Smith deal impacts Eason’s candidacy remains to be seen. Yossi Gozlan of the Third Apron writes (via Twitter) that with the Smith extension, the Rockets are still $80MM below the 2026/27 luxury tax line, giving them room to extend both Durant and Eason.
There has been speculation that Houston might extend one Smith or Eason and wait until next year’s restricted free agency to decide on the other’s future, but outside of Durant, the Rockets have clearly prioritized continuity with the team that won 52 games last season, retaining VanVleet and Steven Adams while reportedly planning on bringing back Aaron Holiday, Jae’Sean Tate, and Jeff Green.
Why?
Because he’s a good young player and important to their team? Why not?
$25M/yr feels right based on his performance, which has been underwhelming.
He’s smart to take the offer given the high risk his playing time is reduced this season. If Rockets sign Finney-Smith, that’s a lot of players (including Eason and Whitmore) competing for minutes at his position.
I mean its the MLE in like 3 years right? lols
Rockets front line can be one of best. Smith is a 2Way guy. So helps KD and Sengun. Plus he’s capable of playing on perimeter. With KD he will get some good looks. Smith was projected to be a big scorer. He should start showing this year. KD also will benefit having two good young bigs around him.
Smith is worth it. Still very young ……
That’s the deal GS wished Kuminga signed last season. 5 years (which is what they desired – they really wanted all 5 years and not fewer) and a very team-friendly AAV, considering the cap will be going up by 10% each year.
From Houston’s perspective, that’s a great contract for a player with his tools and projection – he was talked about as a No.1 pick. If that talent starts coming through, they’ll be walking around with the widest smiles on their faces in the office.
> That’s the deal GS wished Kuminga signed last season. 5 years (which is what
> they desired – they really wanted all 5 years and not fewer).
Yes, if “GS” is the GM and ownership that offered Kuminga the 5 year deal.
No, if “GS” is the Head Coach, who is pleased Kuminga did not sign the 5 year deal.
The lack of alignment between, one, Head Coach and, two front-office/ownership is an enormous, if not insurmountable, obstacle to Warriors’ success. Dunleavey forced Jimmy Butler on Kerr (who admits he preferred to keep Wiggins, but ultimately deferred and is happy that he did). I suspect the same kind of arm-twisting is going on now.
I mean GM and the office, of course. They would be elated to have Kuminga on that kind of deal – all 5 years, not even a player option in the final year.
Kerr is a coach, he doesn’t hand out contracts. And that’s a good thing. And if the Kerr-Kuminga thing got ugly (I mean more ugly than it already is), Kuminga under that contract would be very valuable in trades. And I assume GS would be able to properly evaluate it, not like Washington. They traded Avdija, who was on one of the best contracts in the league for 4 years!, for 1 first-round pick plus a below-average talent in Carrington. They really must be blind over there in Washington to not see what kind of player they had on their hands, and not understand what they could get in return.
P.S. Sorry for the Washington-Avdija rant, it still hurts :/
Peter- good stuff, as always.
I believe the coach should make make the call as to who plays independently of the front office.
But, the coach and FO must be aligned on which players to acquire, draft and sign. When the front-office offers a player a 5 year, $150M deal and the coach says to the 10 days later that he’s unsure whether that player will ever be an NBA starter, it screams organizational dysfunction.
The coach should be allowed to coach, of course. And FO should be doing their job.
Hard to speak about organizational dysfunction at the club that won 4 titles in 10 years. If they are dysfunctional, then what are the rest of the league? :) But they did not handle Kuminga’s situation well, that’s for sure. People say they didn’t want to draft him in the first place and wanted Giddey. They were flabbergasted when OKC took him 1 pick earlier, as he was not projected to go as high. So they went with the best player available, took Kuminga, but never really committed to him, never had a plan.
Mathurin is eligible for his rookie extension. His case is interesting in that he was not established as a starter and has been playing limited minutes. But he has had big moments, had excellent games when playing big minutes during the regular season and in the playoffs. But he’s mostly the same player he was 3 years ago, I wouldn’t say that coaching has opened a new side to his game. He was not given the same role as some other guys who went to bad teams. He can be a bit of a character. His and Kuminga’s stats in their 3rd year are very similar. So, a lot of similarities between the two. Let’s see what happens with his extension.
If the Warriors wanted Kuminga to sign a 5yr/$122million deal, why did they offer him 5yrs/$150? That is rather strange negotiating.
I don’t mean the exact numbers, but in general – long 5 year deal and on what is good starter/roleplayer money, or even slightly below. McDaniels signed a deal like that, now Jabari.
GS went up to 150/5, initially they were offering less.
Where did you read that?
I think Windhorst said something along the lines ‘it wasn’t close at first, then they willing to meet him at 150 fully guaranteed, he was still pushing for even more (implying he was pushing for the max from the beginning, or close to it) and in the end they were still not close to striking a deal’. I can’t remember which interview or podcast it was, but it came out in winter, not right after the negotiations took place. Maybe during that stretch in December when he was playing big minutes, before injury.
The story that got printed ‘he was offered and declined 150’ is not a lie, but that story originated from GS and is worded in the way to make them look as if they came out with open arms and offered what they considered the highest fair valuation right away.
Also, we don’t know if he maybe wanted a player option in the 5th year or smth like that.
Is he even a starter?
> Is he even a starter?
It’s a great question. Seems like the biggest one with the Rockets now. Jabari Smith lost his starter status to Amen Thompson in the last third of the season. With Dillon Brooks gone, Thompson slides over to the 2, and Smith looks like he’s first in line as a PF.
Still, Jabari Smith is much better interior defender than perimeter defender and, with Brooks gone the Rockets are now deficient in that area, which, IMO, is why Houston is pursuing Dorian Finney-Smith right now. And, while Jabari Smith is a better all-around player than Tari Eason, Eason looks like a better defensive fit alongside KD.
It seems like it’s up in the air.
You need to ask ????
Started all his gms as a Rookie, then 76, 39 last yr was banged up. He was considered better than Banchero by most scouts. Same draft, He’s two yrs younger.
Smith formally lost his starting job this season to Amen Thompson. At the moment, Ime says the position is wide open.
Yes, knicker, “you need to ask” because he didnt start for rockets at the end of the season or in the playoffs.
No, knicker, he was NOT “considered better than Banchero by most scouts”. Anyways now we have seen them both play for 3 years. And that’s all that matters. Banchero is an all star and Jabari is riding pine
Go read and catch up. I’m tired of schooling you doubters. Today you can search anything within mins. Try it lol ….. he’s been starting since day one. Dillon is gone. He got hurt and coach went small. They didn’t draft him #2 overall to sit. Learn the game lol …. He’s started over 80% of his career games. And you think he will sit .., Yeah 25 mill to sit. Sounds about right for you
Learn lols ….. and aristotle stop being a coward.. you think you are protected by a mute …
“ About four weeks before the 2022 NBA draft (which would be around late May 2022), the scouting landscape for the top prospects was characterized by a developing consensus around a few key players while maintaining a degree of uncertainty. Here’s a snapshot:
Consensus Forming at the Top:
Jabari Smith Jr. (Auburn): Reports indicate that a strong consensus was forming around Smith as the potential No. 1 pick. Some lottery teams surveyed at the time considered him a significant favorite for that top spot.
Chet Holmgren (Gonzaga): Holmgren was widely considered a strong contender for the second pick, with many scouts and teams viewing him as the likely choice after Smith.
Paolo Banchero (Duke): While some support remained for Banchero as a potential No. 1 pick, he was often mentioned as a strong option for the third spot in early May. “
link to google.com
He didn’t lose his starting spot, he got hurt. And coach liked the way they played small. Obviously he thinks differently now. Dillon is gone and he got a new contract. You think he is going to sit. Do you even watch basketball at all ……. You two are like two little girls who just got turned down lol.
Jabari Smith is a very good young talent. And I will be here all year showing uou both that. OK
This contract will age very well. Kid just turned 22 and is a hard worker and a team player. Wont be a superstar but he’ll be damn good in 2 yrs
> (Jabari Smith) Wont be a superstar but he’ll be damn good in 2 yrs
100%….but only if he plays enough. When a team is loaded with talent, there will always be some casualties.
Udoka will want defense and shooting from this position. Eason, Whitmore, and, if he signs, DFS are also in the running.
Unrelated Rockets question: If KD turns out not to be a good fit next season, will the Rockets be in a good position to sign another star while maintaining their depth? Guess it depends partly on whether KD signs a deal.
The Rockets are loaded even without kd
Rockets already have 2 stars in Sengun and especially Amen, and they will need to pay him. Amen was my DPOY, which is hard to get for a non-big. Mobley was attacked routinely and was even hunted often at the end of games. IMO, Amen’s case was stronger, considering Wemby didn’t qualify. Amen really looks like he will be all-NBA in no time.
And they will need to pay the other young guys they have.
I don’t see them going for max-salary stars after KD. KD will sign a 2-year extension. They wouldn’t have traded for him had he said he wouldn’t.
Agree KD is signing for 2 + yrs