Pistons reward Ausar Thompson with lucrative contract extension

The fifth overall pick in the 2023 draft, Thompson also appeared in 14 playoff games for the Pistons in 2025-26, averaging 8.2 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 3.1 APG, 2.0 SPG and 1.8 BPG in 30.5 MPG.

Thompson will earn $11.12M this season in the final year of his rookie-scale contract. His extension, which begins in 2027-28, is reportedly worth $31M annually. That’s same base value that Keyonte George received from the Jazz earlier on Friday, though George’s deal also contains unlikely incentives ($500K per year).

Thompson is arguably the top perimeter defender in the NBA, with a unique combination of size, strength, athleticism, skill, anticipation and awareness, and he’s also an excellent rebounder and a plus play-maker for a small forward. However, while Thompson has converted 52.5% of his career field-goal attempts, he’s essentially a non-shooter, having made just 20.4% of his career three-pointers and 60.0% of his free throws.

Still, the Pistons have been much better with Thompson on the court in each of his first three seasons despite his limitations as a shooter. And clearly the team values his contributions and believes he’ll continue to get better.

In his full story for ESPN.com, Charania notes that Thompson and his identical twin brother Amen Thompson are the first brothers in NBA history to each sign contracts worth $100M+. Amen, who was the fourth pick in 2023, signed a five-year, $208M rookie-scale extension with the Rockets earlier this month.

The Pistons remain engaged in contract talks with restricted free-agent center Jalen Duren, according to Charania, who says Detroit has offered the third-team All-NBA center a deal in the range of $190M+. Duren is still hoping to make more than that, but the team believes its offers have been fair, Charania adds.