After surprising many by posting a record of 52-30 and finishing second in the Western Conference, the Houston Rockets, armed with assets, entered the offseason poised to make a splash. They did exactly that, making arguably the most significant move of the NBA offseason in dealing for superstar Kevin Durant. Last week, the Rockets made sure to lock up their new star, agreeing to a two-year, $90 million contract extension.
How Did the Rockets Acquire Kevin Durant?
The Phoenix Suns began the offseason with a plan to rebuild and that meant trading their best player in Durant. It’s unclear just how much the Suns shopped Durant before making a move, mainly because Durant, entering the final year of his deal, held a lot of leverage.
In the end, the Rockets traded former No. 2 pick Jalen Green, the 10th overall selection in the 2025 NBA Draft, which became Duke center Khaman Maluach, veteran Dillon Brooks and multiple second-round picks to the Suns to acquire Durant. In the end, the deal involved seven teams.
Unfortunately for the Rockets, they lost point guard Fred VanVleet to a torn ACL and will have to look at internal options as well as possible trade or free agency options to help replace the veteran’s production.
How Did Kevin Durant’s Contract Extension Impact Tari Eason?
With Durant’s extension set to pay him an average of $45 million over those two seasons, money is obviously a little tighter than it previously was in Houston and that could result in some potentially unwanted decisions.
One of those decisions involves forward Tari Eason.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Eason and the Rockets were unable to come to terms on an extension, meaning Eason can enter restricted free agency.
No rookie extension for the Houston Rockets and Tari Eason, sources tell ESPN. Sides could not bridge gaps on multiple fronts by Monday’s deadline. Eason will become a restricted free agent next offseason.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 20, 2025
“No rookie extension for the Houston Rockets and Tari Eason, sources tell ESPN,” reported Charaina. “Sides could not bridge gaps on multiple fronts by Monday’s deadline. Eason will become a restricted free agent next offseason.”
Eason will be a restricted free agent, which means the Rockets will still have a leg up in keeping the former LSU Tiger as they can match any offer sheet Eason signs with another team.
Eason, the 17th-overall selection of the 2022 NBA Draft, averaged 12.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.5 assists in 24.9 minutes per game over 57 games for the Rockets last season. He shot 48.7 percent from the field, 34.2 percent from beyond the arc and 76.0 percent from the free throw line.
