Detroit Pistons fans have been focused on Jalen Duren's restricted free agency this summer, but he is not the only starter the team has to pay this offseason. Unlike Duren, Thompson is not a flight risk as he is under contract for another season, but the contract extension negotiations will be as important in the Pistons' roster-building.
Like the rest of his draft classmates, Thompson will be eligible for an extension once he wraps up his third season in the NBA. The Pistons will obviously want to keep him long-term, but the annual average salary will be key in determining whether an extension gets done this summer.
Ausar Thompson can make a ton of money on new contract in Cavs series
How the rest of the postseason plays out for the Pistons will clearly be a big factor in negotiations. In the second-round series against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Thompson has a massive defensive role. Spending most of the game guarding Donovan Mitchell, the defensive stalwart helped keep the Cleveland offense at bay. When Mitchell was on the bench, Thompson was tasked with guarding James Harden.
Per NBA.com tracking data, Harden and Mitchell combined for 1/4 shooting from the field for three points when Thompson was the primary defender on them. This continued the same trend for Round 1 when the Defensive Player of the Year finalist completely took Desmond Bane out of his game.
For the playoffs, Thompson is averaging over two steals and two blocks per game, one of the most productive individual defensive performances ever. His help defense plays at the rim, and ability to force turnovers on the perimeter have been a very important part of the Pistons' success. As a result, the Pistons have the second-best defense of the postseason with a 103.8 defensive rating.
The Cavs series will continue to be an excellent opportunity for Thompson to prove his worth to the franchise. Harden and Mitchell are amazing offensive players, but they can struggle against size, physicality, and athleticism. Thompson can only add to his resume by slowing down the two All-Stars the rest of the way.
What does this mean for the extension negotiations?
If Thompson doesn't play another minute this postseason, the extension negotiations would likely begin around a deal worth $25 million per season for four seasons.
Going to the Conference Finals with Thompson playing a big role would make it hard for the Pistons not to give him exactly what he is looking for. If Thompson can continue playing the way he did in Game 1, the annual average salary he deserves will easily climb up to over $30 million.
If Thompson can show more on the offensive side of the ball in these playoffs, it wouldn't be shocking to see his next contract starting at over $35 million per year. Whether this is a good idea for the Pistons in the long-term is another question, but this is just the going rate for productive young players with upside. If Detroit's season ends in the NBA Finals, this would be a good problem to have for the front office.
More Detroit Pistons news and rumors:
Add us as a preferred source on Google