Rockets are running victory laps after incredible Tari Eason signing

The Rockets initially had a shaky start to free agency, but found their footing again by signing Tari Eason to a 5-year/$81.5 million contract. That deal is great value for Eason and keeps him in Houston through his prime until the age of 29. Once again, Rockets GM Rafael Stone has worked his magic on a young player to reach a team-friendly outcome.

The Rockets got a great bargain for Eason

Eason was expected to have a more robust market in free agency with offers in the $20-25 million range for an annual salary, but the Rockets managed to keep him around for much less. Houston always knew it wanted to bring Eason back after 4 solid seasons, but his asking price was the big uncertainty.

This is arguably the best-case scenario for the Rockets, who avoid a summer-long headache negotiating with Eason and retain him as a reliable defender with a developing jump shot. Eason has had stretches of great shooting that make him a valuable 3-and-D contributor, but his long-range shooting still has consistency issues. Importantly, the contract also makes Eason a solid tradable piece if the Rockets want to push their chips to acquire a big star.

As rival teams make big moves this offseason, the Rockets now also have the flexibility to join free agency and trade pursuits in full force. Before Eason was locked down, the Rockets may have had to hold back on going after other players without knowing how much they would pay Eason next season. But coming to terms with him so early will pay dividends as the Rockets still have time to join the party on some big trade targets.

Houston's big gamble paid off

The Rockets extended an offer to Eason last year that reportedly exceeded $100 million total, but was not fully guaranteed. Eason chose to turn down that deal because of the non-guarantees and know signs a smaller deal that is fully guaranteed. For the Rockets front office, the original risk of extending a non-guaranteed offer and potentially letting Eason explore the free agent market has immediately paid off.

Considering Eason's previous injury history, the Rockets were wise to put some non-guarantees in their last contract offer. But his 60 games last season must have been enough for them to guarantee his earnings, if it meant saving some money off the total maximum payout. For Eason, getting those guarantees should be a big win, even with the potential lost money.

At the end of the day, the Rockets front office walks away as the biggest winners from Eason's new deal. Now that their most obvious offseason move has been handled, they'll have much bigger fish to fry as they attempt to improve the roster elsewhere.

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