The Rockets Signed Kevin Porter Jr. To A 4-Year, $82.5 Million Partially Guaranteed Extension

As the 6 p.m. ET deadline approaches, a number of players from the 2019 NBA Draft have gotten extensions done in the last week, most notably Jordan Poole and Tyler Herro getting nine-figure extensions in Golden State and Miami.

We’ve also seen some players from the back half of the draft lock up financial security, like Brandon Clarke in Memphis at 4 years, $52 million, but Monday brought word of the most unique extension of this cycle, as Houston worked out a 4-year, $82.5 million extension with Kevin Porter Jr., where only the first year is fully guaranteed.

Porter Jr. has taken a leap in production since arriving in Houston, last year averaging 15.6 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 4.4 assists per game while posting a career-best 37.5 percent shooting mark from three-point range. Porter Jr.’s development has shown his tremendous upside on the floor, but off the court he has still dealt with a few incidents that have colored his reputation since arriving in the league, like getting suspended one game last year for allegedly throwing something at assistant coach John Lucas at halftime and then leaving and getting fined for going to a club and violating COVID protocols in 2021.

Those situations are why Porter Jr.’s contract features the structure it does — which Woj referred to as “unique” — as the Rockets clearly believe in Porter Jr.’s potential to be a core piece of their rebuild and pay him as such, while leaving themselves with some outs if future incidents arise. For Porter Jr., he gets to stay with a team that believes in him and gets some financial security, with the potential to make an awful lot if he continues to produce and play to his talent level.