Pistons Secure Ausar Thompson with Five-Year, $155 Million Extension

The Detroit Pistons have locked up Ausar Thompson on a five-year, $155 million rookie-scale extension, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. The deal keeps the All-Defensive First Team forward in Detroit for the long term and arrives just over a week before training camp opens, with restricted free agent Jalen Duren still unsigned.

A Contract Built on Defensive Dominance

Detroit selected Thompson with the No. 5 pick in 2023 out of the Overtime Elite developmental program. He has since become one of the league’s premier defenders. His twin brother, Amen Thompson, went No. 4 overall to the Houston Rockets that same year, making them the first twins selected in the top 10 of a single draft.

Amen signed his own five-year, $208 million rookie-scale extension with Houston earlier this month. Combined with Ausar’s new deal, the brothers will earn $363 million this offseason, becoming the first pair of siblings in NBA history to each sign contracts worth at least $100 million.

Statistical Breakout Backed the Payday

Thompson posted 9.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists and a league-leading 2.0 steals per game last season for the East’s top-seeded Pistons. That production earned him All-Defensive First Team honors and a third-place finish in Defensive Player of the Year voting.

He carried that impact into the 2026 playoffs, averaging 2.0 steals and 1.8 blocks across 14 games. Thompson became the first player since Anthony Davis in 2020 to record at least 25 steals and 25 blocks in a single postseason run.

Duren’s Situation Remains Unresolved

Jalen Duren, drafted No. 13 overall out of Memphis in 2022 by the Charlotte Hornets before a draft-night trade sent him to Detroit, became a first-time All-Star last season. He landed on the All-NBA Third Team while averaging nearly 20 points and more than 10 rebounds per game. His playoff scoring dropped sharply to 10.2 points per game, and he remains unsigned as camp approaches.

Detroit’s Season and Roster Shifts

The Pistons won an Eastern Conference-high 60 games last season, took the Central Division title and advanced in the playoffs for the first time since 2008 before falling to the Cleveland Cavaliers in a Game 7 second-round loss.

This offseason brought modest changes. Detroit acquired shooter Isaiah Joe from the Oklahoma City Thunder and signed forward John Collins to a three-year, $51 million contract. The Pistons lost third-leading scorer Tobias Harris to the San Antonio Spurs in free agency and traded Isaiah Stewart to the Memphis Grizzlies.

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Detroit’s core stays intact around Thompson’s new deal. The Duren decision looms large heading into training camp. Follow TipsGG for updates as Pistons roster moves continue to develop.