The Rockets' next move with Tari Eason is painfully obvious

Tari Eason personifies the Houston Rockets' dogged approach to basketball as well as anyone. The organization must retain him beyond his rookie contract.

This should not be up for debate. It's not just Eason's relentless aggression on defense that defines Rockets basketball. This team is set on generating as many possessions as possible, and Eason is instrumental in that strategy. Between his offensive rebounding and defensive playmaking, few players generate as many extra possessions as Eason.

It's non-negotiable. Eason needs to be a Rocket for years to come.

What should his next deal look like?

Conference rival sets the market for Rockets' Eason

Herb Jones just got an extension worth $22.6 million in Average Annual Value (AAV). That should be roughly a precedent for Eason.

Those who put stock in Box Plus/Minus (BPM) will disagree. In 2024-25, Eason had an impressive 3.6 BPM. Jones hit the same mark - with a negative symbol in front of it. His -3.6 BPM in 2024-25 won't inspire confidence in Pelicans fans.

Eason's BPM is meaningful, but Jones' should be disregarded. The Pelicans were an abject disaster in 2024-25. Everyone knows Jones is one of the best young defensive wings in the NBA, and the same could be said for Eason.

Let's say Eason is the better player. He's also regrettably injury-prone. That should impact his value on the open market. The Rockets should be able to get him at a similar price as the Pelicans kept Jones:

How will negotiations look?

Rockets in no rush to retain Eason

The Rockets must retain Eason, but they don't need to do it now. They could extend negotiations into next summer, and even let Eason hit Restricted Free Agency (RFA) to get a feel for his market. Perhaps that's too risky - someone could price the Rockets out - but they don't need to make a deal this summer.

It could be in Eason's best interests to wait. That injury-proneness would be less of a mark against him if he delivered a healthy 2025-26 season. In that event, Eason could become prohibitively expensive for the Rockets.

It's time to shell out. Eason is pivotal to this squad. If the Rockets decide to pinch pennies on him, this entire rebuilding enterprise is compromised. The point was to identify the keepers, and - wait for it - keep them.

Eason is a keeper. He's a game-changing defensive playmaker with a budding offensive game. His market won't dictate a rookie scale max, but the Rockets need to be prepared to offer him something in the neighbourhood of $25 million a year:

He's too essential to their identity to lose.