Rockets’ Tari Eason one of 12 eligible players to fail to reach extension

The Rockets and forward Tari Eason failed to reach a rookie-scale extension before Monday’s 6 p.m. EST deadline, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.

Eason entered the day as one of the most likely players to sign, especially after Houston finalized a two-year, $90 million extension with Kevin Durant over the weekend.

But according to Yahoo Sports’ Kelly Iko, the two sides were “far apart in valuation” and couldn’t bridge the gap despite an eleventh-hour push from the Rockets. Charania added that the standoff involved “multiple fronts,” likely covering both salary structure and years.

Eason, 24, averaged 12.0 points and 6.3 rebounds last season and has become one of Houston’s most disruptive defenders. He’ll now head toward restricted free agency in 2026, where the Rockets will have the right to match any offer sheet.

His projected qualifying offer is $8 million, though that number could rise depending on next season’s starter criteria.

Eason is one of 12 players from the 2022 draft class who didn’t reach rookie-scale extensions before the deadline. Here’s the full list, with projected qualifying offers (per HoopsRumors):

• Jaden Ivey, Pistons – $13.4 million

• Bennedict Mathurin, Pacers – $12.3 million

• Jeremy Sochan, Spurs – $9.6 million

• Ousmane Dieng, Thunder – $9.1 million

• Jalen Duren, Pistons – $9.0 million

• Ochai Agbaji, Raptors – $8.9 million

• Mark Williams, Suns – $8.8 million

• Tari Eason, Rockets – $8.0 million

• Dalen Terry, Bulls – $7.7 million

• Malaki Branham, Wizards – $7.1 million

• Walker Kessler, Jazz – $7.1 million

• Peyton Watson, Nuggets – $6.5 million

Those who did reach extensions include Paolo Banchero, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams, Keegan Murray, Jabari Smith Jr., Shaedon Sharpe, Nikola Jovic, Christian Braun, and Dyson Daniels — bringing the total number of 2022 rookies extended to nine.