Rockets fan favorite may have already played his last game for the franchise

The Houston Rockets are playing extremely well this season and clear the 5 percent bar for title contention. If a trade opens up to take a step forward, they have to consider it -- and that could mean Tari Eason is heading out of town before he ever plays another game for the franchise.

On the one hand, it's hard to imagine anyone defeating the Oklahoma CIty Thunder in four out of seven games in a playoff series. On the other hand, if you are going to do it, it's by bringing an unstoppable force -- and the Rockets may just have that with their insanely large lineup. Chet Holmgren may be an All-Star this season, but the one thing he doesn't have is bulk.

The Rockets have already made a win-now move, bringing in Kevin Durant. They have Fred VanVleet out for the year and his contract just waiting to be traded for a player who can help them this season. Perhaps Houston believes they will have a better chance at a title in a future year, but they will only get worse versions of Durant as time goes on. Their windown is closing more quickly than the Thunder's.

Pushing the chips in for a trade almost certainly means including Fred VanVleet, but they also need a sweetener -- a young player who other teams will value highly and who adds some salary to a deal. Attaching the likes of Clint Capela or the injured Dorian Finney-Smith isn't doing much to grease the wheels.

Enter Tari Eason. The Rockets will want to keep Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard, and both Alperen Sengun and Jabari Smith Jr. are on more expensive contracts. The player who is somewhat expendable and tradeable is Eason, and that makes him a prime candidate to be traded.

Build a fake trade for Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Eason is likely in it. Go after Lauri Markkanen, and you find you have to include Eason. Make a gamble on LaMelo Ball and you are probably including Eason. Even a lower-level deal for Michael Porter Jr. or Immanuel Quickley involves Tari Eason. The most logical constructions for any substantive trade will include Eason.

That isn't to say the Rockets want to move on; this is not a situation like Cam Whitmore where his path to playing time was blocked and the franchise had soured on his long-term upside. Tari Eason is beloved by the Houston organization and his frenetic energy on both ends of the court has endeared him to fans. Everyone in Houston loves Tari Eason.

On a team that is paying significant money to Sengun, Durant, Smith and VanVleet and has new deals for Thompson and Sheppard on the horizon, it may just be impossible to pay Eason what he is worth. he will be a restricted free agent this summer, and for all that Rafael Stone deserves credit for his contract negotiations over the last few seasons, the Rockets' payroll is about to skyrocket. Eason may be the odd man out.

Tari Eason is a strong candidate to be traded

All of those factors point to a Tari Eason trade this season. The tricky factor is that Eason has been sidelined since the middle of November with an oblique strain. He is not expected to play for another couple of weeks. That could delay trade interest until he gets back on the court, but in a deal where he is not the true centerpiece, that may not be a significant barrier.

It will be bittersweet for the Rockets and their fans, however, if Eason's last game ends up weeks into the rearview mirror. While his final game was a blowout win over the Portland Trail Blazers on November 14th, he left early. Just two days previous in his last full game he dropped 20 points and six rebounds on the Washington Wizards.

Tari Eason may not be traded at all -- this is not a promise. But there are a lot of factors pointing to a deal, and if one is being lined up, December 15th is the unofficially start to trade season, as newly-signed free agents become eligible to be traded. That includes names like Dorian Finney-Smith and Clint Capela. If a big trade is in the works, Tari Eason is probably involved -- and the timer for such a deal starts on Monday.

If so, Tari Eason has already played his last game in a Houston Rockets uniform, and no one knew it.