317 million in 5 years! Surpassing Huazi and Wenban! The most talented person in NBA

On October 20, the Rockets officially announced that they had completed a contract extension with Durant, and the two parties officially signed a new two-year, $90 million contract. Durant can sign a maximum of 2 years and US$120 million, which is equivalent to a salary cut of 30 million. The Rockets' next goal is to renew Ethan's contract. 6 a.m. on October 21 is the deadline for Ethan's contract extension.

Ethan's asking price is not high, which puts no pressure on the Rockets. The real problem comes in the 2026 offseason, when Amen Thompson is eligible to sign a five-year, $264 million maximum salary extension. If Amen is selected for the All-NBA Team in the 2026-27 season and wins DPOY or MVP, achieving one of these will unlock US$317 million over five years.

Durant's salary cut this time is to help the Rockets reduce salary pressure and renew the contracts of Ethan and Amen Thompson. During this offseason, the NBA officially organized a vote for general managers of each team, and Amen ranked first in two votes: 1. The player most likely to break out in the new season (Wen Ban and others tied for second); 2. The player with the most outstanding athletic talent (Edwards was second).

In this year’s preseason, Amen Thompson played 3 games. He averaged 25 minutes per game, scoring 17 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.3 blocks and 2.7 turnovers. The shooting percentage was 56.3%, the three-point shooting percentage was 66.7%, and the free throw percentage was 91.7%. Former Nets coach Nash said: "I am optimistic about Amen as the best defensive player in the new season, not Wenban."

Although the preseason sample is relatively small, it can be seen that Amen has indeed increased his goals. Amen was born on January 30, 2003. He is 2.01 meters tall and has a wingspan of 2.13 meters. He is the No. 4 pick in the first round of 2023, second only to Bunyama, Brandon Miller and Scooter Henderson. Amen has played in the NBA for two years, and the new season is the third year of his career.

In the 2024-25 regular season, Amen Thompson averaged 14.1 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.4 steals, 1.3 blocks and 2 turnovers per game, with three shooting percentages: 55.7%, 27.5%, 68.4%. In this year's playoffs, he averaged 15.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.7 steals, 0.9 blocks, and 1.7 turnovers per game, with three shooting percentages: 49.4%, 25%, and 69.4%.

Amen said in a recent interview: "I think I am the best defensive player in the NBA." Are you optimistic about Amen's explosion in the new season?