Tari Eason's future with the Rockets is crystal clear after Jabari Smith Jr. deal

The Houston Rockets have built arguably the deepest and most talented group of forwards in the NBA. Kevin Durant and Amen Thompson are the headlining acts for a rotation that includes Tari Eason, Jabari Smith Jr., and the occasional power forward exploits of All-Star center Alperen Sengun.

That group could prove short-lived, however, if the Rockets are unwilling to accept the unavoidable reality of Eason's next step: A contract that at least matches Smith's new annual salary.

Houston signed Smith to a five-year contract extension worth $122 million that will kick in at the start of the 2026-27 season. It was a strategic move to lock in the No. 3 overall selection at the 2022 NBA Draft for the next six campaigns, 2025-26 included.

John Hollinger of The Athletic noted in a recent piece that the unexpected result of Smith's new contract is that Houston may have accidentally set the market for Eason's next deal.

"For starters, the Rockets may have inadvertently set the bar for Eason when they did Smith’s deal. Given that Eason is a better player, it seems like Smith’s deal (five years and [$122] million) should be Eason’s floor. Of course, realists will note that the true question is what the market will pay."

With this in mind, there are only two possible outcomes: Either Houston pays Eason at an almost identical rate or it will stand to lose him by letting the market set his value.

Jabari Smith Jr. extension unintentionally set the price for Tari Eason

Eason is an aggressive, energetic, and skilled defender who can make his mark against players at multiple positions. He's a playmaker capable of creating turnovers and blocking shots, but also a fundamentally sound individual who can either fight over screens or turn a switch into a nightmare for an offensive player.

Eason is also coming off of his best offensive season, during which he set new career-best marks in points per game, field goal percentage, and eFG%.

The question is: How often will Eason see the court in 2025-26? Durant, Smith, and Thompson are likely to consume a significant portion of the minutes distribution, and Houston signed Steven Adams and Clint Capela to contracts that are far too costly to justify not giving them run at center.

With the quartet of Durant, Sengun, Smith, and Thompson likely to spend time at the 4-spot, it's fair to question if Houston can provide Eason with the minutes he needs at his strongest position.

As such, the future for Eason can be broken down into two possible paths. Either Houston will pay him a similar figure to what Smith received and play him at his ideal position, or it will wait this process out and find itself without an ideal avenue to re-signing him long-term in 2026.

Eason's profile is on the rise as a legitimate two-way player who isn't all that far off from the point of being an efficient shooter, and the market for him could thus exceed Houston's preferred price range.

Rather than allowing that to transpire, it would behoove the Rockets to sign Eason to an extension at a similar annual rate to what Smith received. Perhaps Houston can justify a shorter deal based on injury history, but it can't afford to let the market dictate the cost of doing business.

It's unfortunate that the options are so slim, but it's become crystal clear how nonexistent the margin for error is for how the Rockets can handle Eason's next contract.