The Houston Rockets have locked promising forward Kevin Porter Jr. to a new deal. The organization announced the news on Monday, revealing that Porter inked a multi-year contract extension.
Reportedly, Porter Jr’s extension is for four years and is worth $82.5 million. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, only the first year of the deal is guaranteed, while other years require certain conditions to be met before becoming guaranteed. The 22-year-old player still has one year left on his rookie deal that will pay him $3.2 million.
The Rockets’ general manager Rafael Stone said in a statement that the organization values the growth Porter Jr. showed as “a player and a person,” which is why they gave him the new deal.
“He’s expressed how happy he is to be with this organization and has shown his commitment to putting in the work both on and off the court,” Stone added. “We are excited for the opportunity to continue to build something special with him.”
Kevin Porter Jr. was drafted in the NBA with the 30th overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks before being traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers shortly after. He had a promising rookie season in Cleveland, but that was later overshadowed by his problematic off-the-court behavior and various antics.
The Cavs didn’t want Porter on their team after this, but the Rockets were happy to take him for a heavily-protected second-rounder. While the USC product caused some controversy in Houston as well, he proved to be much more focused on basketball than he was in Cleveland. In 2021-22 he averaged 15.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game.
