Pistons, Thompson agree five-year extension

AP:

The Detroit Pistons and Ausar Thompson have agreed to a five-year, US$155-million contract extension, according to a person familiar with the situation.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity yesterday because the deal had not been announced. ESPN first reported the agreement.

With just over a week remaining before training camp begins, the Pistons have yet to re-sign restricted free agent Jalen Duren.

Detroit selected Thompson with the No. 5 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft out of the Overtime Elite developmental programme, and he has since developed into one of the league’s premier defensive players.

Houston selected his twin brother, Amen Thompson, with the No. 4 pick, making them the first set of twins chosen in the top 10 of the same NBA Draft.

Thompson earned NBA All-Defensive Team honours last season and finished third in Defensive Player of the Year voting after averaging a league-leading two steals per game. While his offensive game remains a work in progress, with most of his scoring coming on dunks and layups, he averaged 9.9 points per game last season and 9.6 over his three-year career.

Duren was selected No. 13 overall out of Memphis by Charlotte in 2022, but was acquired by Detroit in a draft-night trade. He became a first-time All-Star last season and earned a place on the All-NBA Third Team after averaging nearly 20 points and more than 10 rebounds per game. His offensive production, however, dipped sharply in the playoffs to 10.2 points per game.

The Pistons won an Eastern Conference-best 60 games last season, finishing atop the Central Division and advancing in the playoffs for the first time since 2008. Their postseason run ended with a lopsided loss to Cleveland in Game Seven of their second-round series.

While several Eastern Conference rivals made significant moves during the off-season, Detroit made only minor additions to its young roster and lost two key contributors.

The Pistons acquired Isaiah Joe from Oklahoma City to bolster their three-point shooting and signed veteran forward John Collins to a three-year, US$51-million contract. They lost third-leading scorer Tobias Harris in free agency to San Antonio and traded Isaiah Stewart to Memphis.