The Rockets have made another move to keep their young core intact, agreeing to a five-year deal with Tari Eason that will keep the restricted free agent forward in Houston, according to Shams Charania of ESPN.
Charania reported that the contract is worth $81.5MM and is fully guaranteed. It also includes a fifth-year player option and a 10% trade kicker, per Sam Amick of The Athletic.
For Houston, the deal locks in one of its most disruptive defenders and most intriguing two-way pieces. Eason, the 17th pick in the 2022 draft, was part of the rotation from the start, suiting up for all 82 games as a rookie and logging 21.5 minutes per night.
His second season, though, was interrupted by a left leg issue that eventually led to surgery for a benign growth, limiting him to 22 appearances. Injuries have continued to slow him down since then, with Eason playing 57 and 60 games over the past two seasons.
When he’s been on the floor, Eason has looked like exactly the kind of wing Houston wants to build around. The 6’8″ forward brings length, athleticism and a 7’2″ wingspan, giving him real value on the defensive end. Offensively, he set a career high by hitting 1.6 three-pointers per game this past season.
His 35.8% mark from deep in 2025/26 came with a brutal slump baked in. Eason shot just 13-for-78, or 16.7%, over a 21-game stretch in February and March, but he made 44.0% of his threes the rest of the way.
Charania also noted that Houston and Eason discussed a rookie scale extension last fall, but he chose to play the season out and test restricted free agency. That decision appears to have worked out well for him, with Charania saying the 25-year-old will get more guaranteed money in this deal than was available last year.
The Rockets, meanwhile, managed to keep the average annual value in the neighborhood of $16MM while preserving flexibility under their presumed hard cap at the second tax apron. Even if they can’t find a trade partner for Dorian Finney-Smith, the structure still leaves them room to operate.
Eason’s salary could start as low as about $14.05MM, which would put Houston nearly $12MM below the second apron and leave the team with only one or two projected 15-man roster spots to fill. Yossi Gozlan of The Third Apron noted that a flat or descending salary structure could make sense if the Rockets don’t need that extra room below the apron. Even then, Houston would still have space to add two minimum-salary players.
Eason is now the third member of the Rockets’ young core to land a long-term contract. Alperen Sengun is entering the second year of a five-year, $185MM deal, while Jabari Smith Jr.’s five-year, $122MM rookie scale extension is just beginning. Amen Thompson is next in line, with extension eligibility this offseason.
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