The Houston Rockets are less than three weeks away from kicking off their 2025-26 season with a road game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Houston is preparing to embark on the Kevin Durant era, with the star widely expected to sign an extension with the Rockets team that traded for him back during the summer.
Still, before that happens, the Rockets reportedly have one other name that they'd like to keep on the books for the future.
“I've likewise heard that the Rockets would prefer to secure an extension with Tari Eason before finalizing their widely expected two-year pact with Kevin Durant,” reported NBA insider Jake Fischer on Marc Stein's Substack.
Fischer also clarified, however, that “If Durant's deal gets done first, that's no real issue.”
As for Houston's rationale, Fischer pointed out that “Eason would likely receive a four-year deal if an extension can be hashed out… Houston would relish knowing exactly how the books look with an extended Eason before doing the two-year deal that Durant himself announced on Monday that he expects to land.”
Tari Eason is one of the many young and athletic wing defenders on this Houston roster that turned them into one of the best defensive teams in the league a year ago.
An exciting time for the Rockets
Fred VanVleet's torn ACL injury from two weeks ago certainly dimmed the mood a bit for the Houston Rockets as they prepare for the 2025-26 campaign, but it's still far and away the most anticipated season for the franchise in at least six years, and possibly longer than that.
While the Oklahoma City Thunder are still viewed by most as the favorites in the Western Conference after returning their entire championship core from a year ago, the Rockets figure to be right there with the Denver Nuggets as their biggest challengers in the conference.
Houston has several different ways it can beat opponents, and their half court scoring droughts are unlikely to be an issue now that Durant is in the fold.
The Rockets and Thunder will kick off their respective seasons against one another on October 21.
