Thompson Twins Make History: Ausar Signs $155M Deal, Combined $363M

It's never happened before. Ausar Thompson has signed a five-year, $155 million rookie scale extension with the Detroit Pistons, according to Shams Charania, making the Thompson twins the first brothers in NBA history to each receive a contract worth over $100 million. Combined, they total $363 million.

A contract built on defense

The deal comes after an outstanding season in that department. At 23 years old, Thompson was named to the NBA's All-Defensive First Team and finished third in Defensive Player of the Year voting.

His averages were 9.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 0.9 blocks—numbers that paint a picture of a complete player rather than a scorer. The stat that best defines him is another: he accumulated the third-most combined steals and blocks in the entire league, with 215.

And in the playoffs, even better

In the postseason, he took another step. In the 14 games he played through the Conference Semifinals, he averaged 8.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 2 steals, and 1.8 blocks.

With those numbers, he became the first player since Anthony Davis in 2020 to record at least 25 steals and 25 blocks in the same playoff run. For a small forward, it's an unusual statistic.

The contrast with Duren

The news also comes at a significant moment for the franchise. While Detroit secures Ausar Thompson, negotiations with Jalen Duren appear to have stalled definitively.

The center was seeking a starting salary close to the maximum, around $41 million annually, while the team wouldn't go above $30 million. The Pistons also ruled out any sign-and-trade agreement. With that gap unbridged, the option gaining weight is that Duren accepts the qualifying offer and becomes an unrestricted free agent next summer.

In other words: the same franchise that takes a stand against its All-Star center commits $155 million to its defensive wing.

The twins, separately

Amen Thompson signed a five-year, $208 million extension with the Houston Rockets two weeks ago, accepting $43 million less than the maximum he was entitled to in order to create salary cap flexibility for his team.

Selected in the 2023 Draft with the fourth and fifth picks, the two have followed parallel paths until this summer, when both secured their futures in the same month.