Monday, October 20, at 6:00 p.m. EST was the deadline for players to reach a rookie-scale extension. One of them was Houston’s backup PF Tari Eason.
NBA insider Shams Charania reported that the Rockers were unable to reach a rookie-scale extension with Tari Eason. Charania noted that the two parties were unable to find common ground “on multiple fronts.” That suggests that the Rockets and Eason were not close in years and dollars. Now, Tari Eason is set to become a restricted free agent at the end of 2025-26.
Tari Eason was one of 12 players who did not sign a rookie-scale extension
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
In the 2022 NBA draft, the Rockets selected Tari Eason with the 17th overall pick out of LSU. Over three seasons with Houston, Eason has played in 161 games and made 21 starts. As a rookie, Eason played in all 82 games for the Rockets and made five starts. During his career with the Rockets, Tari Eason has primarily been a backup. His 16 starts in 2024-25 were a career-high for the 24-year-old.
On Monday, October 20, NBA insider Shams Charania announced that Tari Eason did not sign a rookie-scale extension with the Rockets. According to his reports, the two parties were unable to find common ground “on multiple fronts.” This implies that Houston and Tari Eason did not see eye-to-eye in negotiations. Kelly Iko of The Athletic reported that the Rockets and Eason’s camp were “far apart in valuation” for weeks.
The Houston Rockets are not expected to sign Tari Eason to an extension, per @ShamsCharania pic.twitter.com/KiaNZrHXIo
— NBA Trends (@NBATrendsOnly) October 21, 2025
Iko noted there was a push at the 11th hour to get a rookie-scale extension done, but it did not happen. Tari Eason is one of 12 players not to receive a rookie-scale extension by Monday’s deadline. The list includes Jaden Ivey, Bennedict Mathurin, Jeremy Sochan, Ousmane Dieng, Jalen Duren, Ochai Agbaji, Mark Williams, Dalen Terry, Malaki Branham, Walker Kessler, and Peyton Watson. Because these players did not sign the rookie-scale extension, they will have qualifying offers for the 2026-27 season.
Houston’s Tari Eason will roughly have an $8 million qualifying offer for 2026-27. However, the Rockets could straight up not offer Tari Eason a qualifying offer for next season. Meaning he would forego restricted free agency and become unrestricted. The Rockets will not have to make that decision until next June. If Tari Eason has a breakout season, he could earn a long-term contract with Houston or another team.
