Rockets' top priority for next summer is painfully obvious after Tari Eason fiasco

The deadline for extensions has passed, and the Houston Rockets did not extend Tari Eason. Working out his contract has to be their top priority next summer. 

For fans, it's a disappointment. Eason is beloved. His brand of aggressive, effortful play has been a staple of the Rockets' strategy. 

It wasn't enough to get a deal done. 

Who could say why? Perhaps Eason expected too much. Or, the front office is tentative after extending Kevin Durant. The salary cap is limiting, and they couldn't find room for Eason: 

But that can't be the case next summer. 

Rockets must prioritize Eason 

Now, Eason will hit Restricted Free Agency (RFA). For the uninitiated, that means he'll hit the open market, but the Rockets will have the right to match any offer he receives. 

Rest assured, Eason will find an offer. This summer, money was tight. Next summer, there will be several teams with cap space. Someone will want to secure Eason's valuable services. 

The Rockets can't let them. 

Eason's statistical profile is well-documented in these pages. It bears repeating. In 2024-25, Eason had a 3.6 box plus-minus with a 3.3% steal percentage and a 17.9% offensive rebounding percentage. 

No wing secures extra possessions like Eason. He's among the better wing defenders in the NBA as well. This is a highly valuable player: 

When he's able to get on the floor. 

Sadly, injuries have plagued Eason's young career. That likely factored into negotiations as well. 

It will also impact next summer - one way or the other. 

Rockets' Tari Eason needs a big season 

Now, the 2025-26 season is a "prove it" year for Eason. 

Firstly, he should not let that change his style of play. Eason doesn't need to prove that he can impact winning. That's already been established. He only needs to prove that he can stay on the floor. 

If he can do that, next summer gets dicey. Eason is likely to get an offer in RFA that the Rockets will struggle to match. If nothing else, they need to move heaven and earth. If the Rockets can sign and trade Fred VanVleet to make room for Eason, it shouldn't be off the table. 

When Houston started adding veterans to their core, fans got nervous. Winning is great, but nobody wanted to squeeze quality young players out. Trading Jalen Green was fine - he hadn't lived up to expectations. 

Eason, when he's on the floor, has exceeded them. 

Losing him would be terribly unfortunate. Even if Eason gets hurt again, it should lower his price to the point that the Rockets should invest in him. One healthy Eason season could be a tremendous boon to their championship pursuits: 

So they need to prioritize him as soon as they (again) can.