The Rockets and Tari Eason have reached an agreement on a five-year deal that will keep the restricted free agent forward in Houston, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (via Twitter).

According to Charania, Eason’s contract will be worth $81.5MM and will be fully guaranteed. It will also feature a fifth-year player option and a 10% trade kicker, per Sam Amick of The Athletic (Twitter link).

The 17th overall pick in the 2022 draft, Eason was day-one rotation player for the Rockets, appearing in all 82 games in a rookie and averaging 21.5 minutes per night. However, he was limited to 22 appearances in his second year due to a left leg issue that eventually required him to undergo surgery to treat a benign growth. He has continued to battle the injury bug since then, playing in 57 and 60 games over the past two seasons.

Eason’s stop-and-start availability has limited his development to some extent, but when he’s been healthy and at his best, he has shown the ability to be a highly effective three-and-D wing. The 6’8″ forward’s versatility, athleticism, and 7’2″ wingspan are assets on the defensive end, and he set a career high by knocking down 1.6 three-pointers per game this past season.

Eason’s 35.8% three-point percentage in 2025/26 was dragged down by a miserable 13-for-78 (16.7%) cold spell across 21 games in February and March — he made 44.0% for the rest of the season.

According to Charania (Twitter link), the Rockets and Eason discussed a rookie scale extension last fall, but he chose to play out the season and try his luck in restricted free agency. That move paid off, per Charania, who says the 25-year-old will receive more guaranteed money in his new deal than was on the table last year.

More to come…