[The Athletic] Amen Thompson is expected to sign this summer, potentially a five-year deal worth more than $250 million.
The Rockets head into the offseason with most of their core under contract, but general manager Rafael Stone will have to be precise with his decisions. Houston’s roster has 10 players under contract and just under $22 million in room below the projected first-apron payroll threshold.
Durant signed a two-year, \(90 million extension last summer, but he has a \)46 million player option for the 2027-28 season, which will raise some questions about his long-term future. Durant will be 38 next season, and he’s already expressed a desire to write the final chapter of his career in Houston.
The most pressing free-agent decision going into the offseason may center on what comes next for 24-year-old forward Tari Eason, who is set to hit restricted free agency. He’s been a key piece for Houston the past two seasons with his disruptive defensive presence, but his offensive impact — particularly from the 3-point line — fell off a cliff during the second half of the season.
The Rockets and Eason’s representatives came close to inking a long-term extension before the deadline last October that could’ve reportedly been in excess of $100 million, but they ultimately decided to come back to the negotiating table this offseason.
After the trade deadline, Stone called Eason “an enormous contributor” and added that the Rockets “look forward to having a great future with him. He’s a big part of our plans.”
Yet, this Rockets roster could get very expensive in the coming years after adding an Eason extension to the other big contracts already on the books.
Bringing back Eason could potentially put the Rockets in a position to have five players on next year’s salary cap making north of \(20 million and eight earning at least \)10 million annually. That doesn’t even include the lucrative extension young star Amen Thompson is expected to sign this summer, potentially a five-year deal worth more than $250 million.
Ownership has shown a willingness to shell out the money to construct a competitive roster, but Stone will have to be strategic in how he puts all the pieces together.
VanVleet will be another player to keep an eye on this offseason. He has a $25 million player option for the 2026-27 season. He could just bank that money as he continues his recovery from a torn ACL. But there’s also a chance the 32-year-old could negotiate a new deal with Houston to provide some short-term cap flexibility in exchange for a few additional years of security.