As previous reports indicated, the Houston Rockets officially picked up the contract options on Jabari Smith Jr., Tari Eason, Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun ahead of the NBA’s annual Oct. 31 deadline for such decisions.
Contracts for first-round draft picks are only guaranteed for the first two seasons; the third and fourth years are at the team’s discretion. Smith and Eason were drafted in the 2022 first round, while Green and Sengun were selections from the 2021 draft class.
Since all four are productive players for the Rockets, the decision to pick up those contract options for 2024-25 was largely a formality. However, it is a procedural step general manager Rafael Stone was required to do to keep them on their current deals.
Green and Sengun will earn $12.5 and $5.4 million in 2024-25, respectively, while Smith and Eason will make $9.8 and $3.7 million. The higher figures for Green and Smith are because their draft slots (No. 2 and No. 3 in 2021 and 2022) correspond with higher figures.
Green and Sengun will be eligible for contract extensions once the 2023-24 league year concludes.
From the team’s official announcement, here’s a look at miscellaneous facts and figures about each of those four players to date.