Houston Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr has put pen to paper on a four-year, $82.5 million contract extension with the franchise, though the new deal comes with a twist.
The breakdown of the new agreement underlines the first year as the only season that is fully guaranteed. The Rockets can opt into moving on from the 22-year-old at any given point over the following three years.
‘Kevin Porter Jr.’s four-year extension is only guaranteed for $15.86 million, all in Year 1, sources said,’ Shams Charania, Senior lead NBA Insider for The Athletic, confirmed on Monday.
‘The contract includes June trigger dates after first season, but the Rockets can essentially release Porter at any point without further pay up to the $82.5M.’
Kevin Porter Jr’s four-year $82.5 million contract is only guaranteed for $15.86 million in Year 1
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski added that Houston has ‘invested tremendous time and energy into Porter Jr., on and off court and they’re showing a commitment to keep developing him as a cornerstone.’
Talks over the new deal had stalled since the start of preseason but were ultimately conclusive ahead of Monday’s 6 p.m. ET deadline for players out of the NBA draft class of 2019.
Porter was initially traded to the Rockets midway through the 2020-2021 season for a future top-55 protected second pick. Barely three months after, in April, he scored 50 points and recorded 11 assists in a win against the Milwaukee Bucks, becoming the youngest player in NBA history to have 50+ points and 10+ assists in a game.
He is also the youngest player in franchise history with a triple-double, recording a 30 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists on March 30, against Sacramento.
Last season, in early January, the former USC player hit a buzzer-beater against the Washington Wizards with the score tied at 111-111. At the time, the game-winning shot ended the Rockets’ eight-game losing streak, their longest since being beaten 15 times straight at the start of the 2021-2022 season.
Porter Jr. scored a game-winning, three-pointer over the Washington Wizards in January
It was a moment of redemption for the Seattle-native, who had previously missed a game-winning field goal against the Lakers in November, following a suspension imposed by the team after a locker room spat.
Porter Jr, whose been previously labelled as a bad boy around the league for several off-court incidents, was drafted by the Bucks as the 30th overall pick in 2019, before being traded to the Cavaliers via the Pistons.
He started the 2020–21 season inactive due to an off-season weapons charge, which was later dropped. He was then traded to Houston in January 2021 after an outburst regarding a locker change following the Cavaliers’ acquisition of Taurean Prince from the Brooklyn Nets.
On the Rockets, ‘KPJ’ has had to get his attitude in check several times. He once left the Toyota Center at halftime in a game against the Nuggets following a heated discussion. The guard was also suspended for bumping into a referee and has been fined $50,000 by the league during COVID for attending a strip club in Miami.
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The Seattle-native’s first team was the Cleveland Cavaliers but was traded due to his behavior
These behavioral issues are the main factor behind the Rockets’ decision to only give Porter Jr a full, guaranteed first season. Remaining locked in over the succeeding years will be the player’s main source of motivation, if he is to chase the remaining amount that his extension offers.
Porter Jr is one of the young players the rebuilding Rockets hope will help them return to contention. He has played in 87 games with 84 starts over two seasons, averaging 15.6 points, 6.2 assists and 4.4 rebounds last season.
He is also one of eight players over the past two seasons to have averaged at least 15 points, six assists, four rebounds, one steal and two 3-pointers a game. The other players to have done that are former Rockets star James Harden, LaMelo Ball, Steph Curry, Luka Doncic, LeBron James, Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet.
