Former Auburn forward Jabari Smith intends to sign extension with Houston Rockets

Former Auburn forward Jabari Smith will be a Houston Rockets for many years to come it appears. On Sunday, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported that Smith intended to sign a rookie extension for five years and $122 million. The extension will run through the 2030-31 season.

Smith is part of a young Rockets roster that made a huge jump this past season. Houston gained the No. 2 seed in the very difficult western conference with a 52-30 record.  The prior season, the Rockets just missed the NBA Play-In Tournament with a 41-41 record. The inexperience of the Rockets showed once they reached the postseason and were matched up against veteran Golden State Warriors. Houston lost the first round series 4-3.

In his third year in the NBA, Smith averaged 12.2 points per game and 7.1 rebounds for the 2024-25 season. Those numbers did drop in the playoffs versus the Warriors, but Smith found success from the three-point shooting 46%. He is a key part of a team that will look to replicate that regular season success next season with more wins in the postseason. The Rockets have already added Kevin Durant to the roster for the 2025-26 season.

Smith only played one season for the Auburn Tigers, but it was a memorable one. The Tigers won the SEC Regular Season Championship for the 2021-22 season, posting a 15-3 conference record and were 28-5. Individually for Smith, he collected many accolades. He was named SEC Freshman of the Year and First-team All-SEC. Smith averaged 16.9 points per game, 7.4 rebounds, and 2.0 assists. Unfortunately, the Tigers season ended in the second round of the NCAA Tournament against the Miami Hurricanes.

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This article originally appeared on Auburn Wire: Jabari Smith to sign rookie extension with the Houston Rockets