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2021 NBA draft top 5 picks sign rookie contract extensions

Two young NBA stars inked nine-figure extensions on Monday, just days before their 2024-25 regular season is set to tip off.

Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs and Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green signed extensions with their respective teams. Orlando announced the extension but not the terms, however ESPN reported the deal is a five-year, $150.5 million rookie contract extension. ESPN also reported Green’s deal is a three-year, $106 million rookie contract extension, according to Green’s representatives.

Both stars were selected in the 2021 NBA draft − Green second overall and Suggs fifth overall − and are each coming off one of the best seasons of their young careers.

Suggs played a career-high 75 games last season, averaging 12.6 points per game that stepped up his game offensively while becoming a defensive specialist for the Magic. His 1.4 steals per game was top 10 in the league and he was named NBA all-defensive second-team while also knocking down 39.7% of his 3-point attempts. In the playoffs, he broke out for a career-high 24 points in Game 3 of the first round against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Green is coming off an iron man of a season in which he started every game for Houston in 2023-24 and was one of 17 players in the league to not miss a single game. He averaged 19.6 points and 5.2 rebounds per game last season and became a more consistent shooter toward the end of the season for a team that fell just short of qualifying for the play-in game.

This post appeared first on USA TODAY