Ausar Thompson reportedly signs max rookie-scale extension with the Detroit Pistons after breakout season.
Ausar Thompson and the Detroit Pistons have agreed to a five-year, $155 million rookie-scale contract extension, keeping the All-Defensive First Team forward in Detroit for the foreseeable future, the team announced.
With a little more than a week left before training camp begins, the Pistons have not re-signed restricted free agent Jalen Duren.
Detroit drafted Thompson out of the Overtime Elite developmental program in 2023 with the No. 5 pick and he has developed into one of the NBA’s best defensive players.
Twin is locked in 🤝
OFFICIAL — The Detroit Pistons announced today that the team has signed forward Ausar Thompson to a contract extension. pic.twitter.com/6hPc8hg9Ow
— Detroit Pistons (@DetroitPistons) September 22, 2026
Thompson took another step forward as a two-way standout for the Eastern Conference’s top-seeded Pistons last season, averaging 9.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists and a league-leading 2.0 steals per game. His impact on the defensive end earned him All-Defensive First Team honors, while he finished third in Defensive Player of the Year voting.
Thompson carried that defensive impact into the 2026 NBA Playoffs, averaging 2.0 steals and 1.8 blocks over 14 games. He became the first player since Anthony Davis in 2020 to record at least 25 steals and 25 blocks in a single postseason.
Houston selected his twin brother, Amen Thompson, with the No. 4 pick and they became the first set of twins to be selected in the top 10 in the same draft.
Twins Ausar and Amen Thompson are now the first pair of brothers in NBA history to each receive a $100 million deal. They have signed for a total of $363 million this offseason. https://t.co/P4PDjD4BTN
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 18, 2026
The extension would claim a piece of NBA history for the Thompson family: Ausar and his twin brother, Amen Thompson, are on the precipice of becoming the first pair of brothers in NBA history to each sign contracts worth at least $100 million. Amen agreed to a five-year, $208 million rookie-scale extension with the Houston Rockets earlier this month, setting up the brothers’ combined earnings from their new extensions to be worth $363 million this offseason.
Duren was selected No. 13 overall out of Memphis in 2022 by Charlotte, and the Pistons acquired him in a draft-night trade. Duren became a first-time All-Star last season and the 6-foot-10 center earned a spot on the All-NBA Third Team, averaging nearly 20 points and more than 10 rebounds a game. His offensive production in the playoffs dipped dramatically to 10.2 points per game.
The Pistons won an Eastern Conference-high 60 games last season, finishing first in the Central Division and advancing in the playoffs for the first time since 2008. They were routed by Cleveland in Game 7 of their second-round series.
While some teams in the East made major moves this offseason, Detroit did not add much to its young team and lost two key players.
The Pistons acquired Isaiah Joe in a trade with Oklahoma City to add a desperately needed 3-point shooter and signed veteran forward John Collins to a three-year, $51 million contract. They lost third-leading scorer Tobias Harris in free agency to San Antonio and traded Isaiah Stewart to Memphis.
