The Houston Rockets on Monday officially announced their contract extension with starting point guard Kevin Porter Jr., which reportedly is worth up to $82.5 million over four years. Only $15.9 million over the first season of the deal, which kicks in with the NBA’s 2023-24 campaign a year from now, is fully guaranteed.
“We value the player and the person that Scoot is becoming and are eager to invest in him and his journey,” general manager Rafael Stone said in a press release. “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. We are excited for the opportunity to continue to build something special with him.”
Porter was acquired by Houston via a trade with Cleveland on January 22, 2021. Since then, he has appeared in 87 games with 84 starts while averaging 15.9 points, 6.2 assists, 4.2 rebounds, 1.0 steals, and 2.4 3-pointers made per game. Over the past two seasons, he was one of eight NBA players to have averaged at least 15.0 points, 6.0 assists, 4.0 rebounds, 1.0 steals, and 2.0 3-pointers made per game, joining LaMelo Ball, Stephen Curry, Luka Dončić, James Harden, LeBron James, Kyle Lowry, and Fred VanVleet.
The Seattle native did not turn 22 years old until after last season ended. Over his 35 games played in 2021-22, Porter averaged 3.1 made 3-pointers on 40.4% shooting. Over that span, he was one of only five NBA players with at least six games played to have averaged at least three 3-pointers per game while shooting 40.0% or better.
Porter had an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.54 over his final 32 games last season, up from 1.65 over his first 55 games as a Rocket.
Porter recorded 50 points and 11 assists versus Milwaukee on April 29, 2021, becoming the fifth-youngest player to have scored 50-plus points in NBA history. In doing so, he eclipsed LeBron James as the youngest to have done so while recording 10-plus assists.
Last season, Porter had 30 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists versus Sacramento on March 30, 2022, becoming the youngest Rocket to have recorded a triple-double in franchise history.
With that, Porter became the fourth player in NBA history under the age of 22 to have recorded both a 50-point game and a triple-double, joining LeBron James, Brandon Jennings, and Trae Young.
