The Houston Rockets have reached a five-year agreement with restricted free agent forward Tari Eason, keeping the 25-year-old in Houston through at least the 2030-31 season, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Charania reported the pact is worth $81.5 million, fully guaranteed. Sam Amick of The Athletic added that the deal carries a fifth-year player option and a 10 percent trade kicker.
Eason, selected 17th overall in the 2022 NBA Draft, played all 82 games as a rookie and averaged 21.5 minutes per contest. A left leg issue limited him to 22 appearances the following season and eventually required surgery to remove a benign growth. He has since managed 57 and 60 games, respectively, over the last two campaigns.
Despite intermittent availability, the 6-foot-8 wing has flashed strong three-and-D upside. Eason set a career best this past season with 1.6 made three-pointers per game. He finished the year shooting 35.8 percent from deep, a figure depressed by a 13-for-78 stretch (16.7 percent) over 21 games in February and March; he converted 44.0 percent of his attempts outside that span.
Houston and Eason explored a rookie-scale extension last fall, but the forward opted to enter restricted free agency. The strategy proved successful, as his new contract exceeds the guaranteed money the Rockets offered during those talks, Charania noted.
Eason’s versatility, athleticism and 7-foot-2 wingspan have made him a key defensive piece for head coach Ime Udoka, and the organization now has him under contract for the foreseeable future.
Source: HoopsRumors
