Shams Charania: Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. intends to sign a five-year, $122 million rookie contract extension, sources tell ESPN. Rockets officials and Smith’s agent, Wallace Prather of LIFT Sports Management, negotiated the fully guaranteed deal through 2030-31 season.
Source: Twitter @ShamsCharania
Source: Twitter @ShamsCharania
What’s the buzz on Twitter?
Sam Vecenie @Sam_Vecenie
Think Jabari Smith Jr. at 24M/yr is basically one of those deals that just makes sense for everyone. He gets paid for five years. Houston limits their downside in relative terms and gets some upside on the number if he takes a leap developmentally. That feels right. – 9:42 PM
Think Jabari Smith Jr. at 24M/yr is basically one of those deals that just makes sense for everyone. He gets paid for five years. Houston limits their downside in relative terms and gets some upside on the number if he takes a leap developmentally. That feels right. – 9:42 PM
Salman Ali @SalmanAliNBA
Jabari Smith opted against betting on himself for financial security.
I totally get it, but if he held out and had an All-Star season, he could’ve demanded a $250 million contract next summer. – 8:13 PM
Jabari Smith opted against betting on himself for financial security.
I totally get it, but if he held out and had an All-Star season, he could’ve demanded a $250 million contract next summer. – 8:13 PM
StatMuse @statmuse
Jabari Smith Jr. as a Rocket:
— 13.0 PPG
— 7.5 RPG
— 1.7 3PG
Joins Luka and Lauri as the only players with those averages in their first three seasons. pic.x.com/DkZofq1gw0 – 8:01 PM
Jabari Smith Jr. as a Rocket:
— 13.0 PPG
— 7.5 RPG
— 1.7 3PG
Joins Luka and Lauri as the only players with those averages in their first three seasons. pic.x.com/DkZofq1gw0 – 8:01 PM
Shams Charania @ShamsCharania
Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. intends to sign a five-year, $122 million rookie contract extension, sources tell ESPN. Rockets officials and Smith’s agent, Wallace Prather of LIFT Sports Management, negotiated the fully guaranteed deal through 2030-31 season. pic.x.com/S1hb9n0PRh – 7:58 PM
Houston Rockets forward Jabari Smith Jr. intends to sign a five-year, $122 million rookie contract extension, sources tell ESPN. Rockets officials and Smith’s agent, Wallace Prather of LIFT Sports Management, negotiated the fully guaranteed deal through 2030-31 season. pic.x.com/S1hb9n0PRh – 7:58 PM
More on this storyline
Two factors proved decisive in the Rockets’ change of direction. First was Udoka’s strong advocacy for the move. Second was the surprisingly reasonable asking price. “Another thing was they also couldn’t say no to the price. The price was just so low they just couldn’t say no. It’s meant to say look what they still have on their roster. So they now have optionality. They can say ‘let’s keep letting Amen Thompson develop. Let’s keep letting Jabari Smith. By the way, they love Tari Eason there. He can be the guy that replaces Dillon Brooks as that key defender. -via RealGM / June 24, 2025
Over multiple weeks of discussions with Phoenix, with Rockets general manager Rafael Stone leading the talks, Houston maintained a firm stance in its refusal to include young players like Reed Sheppard, Jabari Smith Jr. and Tari Eason, team sources told The Athletic. The Rockets refused to give up the Suns’ 2027 and 2029 first-round selections as well, no matter how motivated the Suns were to recoup those prized picks (they sent them to Brooklyn in the February 2023 Durant deal, and the Rockets landed them in a June 2024 deal with the Nets). -via New York Times / June 22, 2025
The Suns’ conversations focused on the Rockets and Heat in recent days, but both teams showed an unwillingness to part with young cornerstones such as Jabari Smith Jr. and Reed Sheppard (Houston) and Kel’el Ware (Miami) in a Kevin Durant deal, sources said. -via ESPN / June 22, 2025