Convenience Big Store: Musings on Tari Eason's free agency

houstonchronicle.com

View in Browser

SALE! Only 25¢

Don’t miss a moment with unlimited digital access to essential news.

Claim This Offer

Sale Ends May 17

Breaking down Tari Eason's restricted free agency

One of the main questions the Houston Rockets need to answer this offseason is what they plan to do with Tari Eason.

The 24-year-old forward is a restricted free agent, meaning Houston can match any contract he signs with another team. Rockets general manager Rafael Stone said he “fully” expects Eason to be with Houston for the “foreseeable future” but added that nothing was guaranteed.

Eason’s future will in part depend on how other teams view him. He is a fantastic athlete with great size, allowing him to defend up and down opposing lineups. He is one of the best rebounders for his position. But he also is an inconsistent 3-point shooter who has struggled to stay healthy — after playing 82 games as a rookie, Eason has played 22, 57 and 60 games over the last three seasons.

A front office member with another team told me Eason, if an unrestricted free agent, would probably make a little above the mid-level exception in average annual salary — something around $17-18 million per year. But his restricted status complicates things. For one, a team that signs Eason ties up its cap space for a few days while Houston decides whether to match or not.

Free agency can pass you by in that time.

That means a team targeting Eason must be serious about prying him away from the Rockets.

Those teams can’t give Eason a deal at market value. Houston would just match. The Rockets need to be disincentivized to retain the forward. That could mean an annual salary of around $25 million. It could also mean a descending salary structure — put the highest number in the first year to really clog up Houston’s cap sheet if it decides to match.

The front office member guessed Eason would likely return to Houston.

Maybe I’m over-estimating other teams' desire to sign the forward, but I’m a little less confident in the Rockets’ ability to retain him. All it takes is one team to come in way above market value and put Houston in a bind. And even with some limitations, Eason’s skillset is one a lot of the league could use.

Varun Shankar, Rockets Beat Reporter

varun.shankar@houstonchronicle.com

Houston Rockets guard Amen Thompson (1) reacts after drawing a foul during the first half in Game 6 of a first-round NBA playoff basketball series at Toyota Center in Houston on Friday, May 1, 2026.

Exploring an Amen Thompson extension

Another contract situation to monitor: Amen Thompson.

The guard/wing just wrapped up his third NBA season and is eligible for a contract extension. Houston loves Thompson and will likely come to an agreement this offseason to keep him from reaching restricted free agency.

The highest contract Thompson can get right now would put his average annual salary at 25% of the salary cap. If Houston offers him that deal, it can also include an escalator clause that increases that percentage up to 30% of the cap if Thompson earns certain honors — All-NBA, Defensive Player of the Year or MVP.

But the Rockets have earned a reputation as stingy negotiators after getting Alperen Şengün and Jabari Smith Jr. signed to more-than-reasonable extensions. Şengün’s deal doesn’t go above 22% of the salary cap. Smith Jr.’s never goes above 15%.

Even with immense promise, Thompson still faces questions about his shooting and long-term offensive projection. We will see what that means for negotiations.

Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka, left, and general manager Rafael Stone speak to the media during a news conference wrapping up the season at Toyota Center in Houston, Monday, May 4, 2026.

Rockets mock offseason May 14 on Twitch/YouTube

I’ll be looking at both these decisions and more on my Rockets’ mock offseason. Join me on Twitch on May 14 at 6 p.m. CT as I dive into trades, free agent decisions and maybe even some draft talk.

If you can’t make it at that time, no worries! I’ll post the video on my YouTube channel.

Worth a read

📒The Rockets don't have a first-round pick in the 2026 draft but have a lot of draft capital in future years use in potential trades.
🙄 What Draymond Green said about Charles Barkley's Rockets tenure.
❓ Looking at the main storylines for the Rockets this offseason.
🎙 Here are the most interesting and important things Stone and coach Ime Udoka said at their season-ending press conference.
💲 Here is every Rockets player's contract status heading into the offseason.
🥴 In what I hope is just a framing device to talk through the season and not an early sign that the 2025-26 season truly broke me, I talked to (wrote at?) myself to review the Rockets season.