
Hearts slam 'disgraceful' pitch invasion and report 'serious' abuse at Celtic Park
Hearts slam 'disgraceful' pitch invasion and report serious abuse at Celtic Park
Rafael Stone emphasizes Tari Eason's mentality as crucial for the Houston Rockets. Eason, who will enter restricted free agency after the 2026 NBA Finals, has made significant defensive contributions, including a strong performance against LeBron James.
Once the 2026 NBA Finals conclude next month, the Houston Rockets will have an exclusive negotiating window with Tari Eason. Should that not result in an agreement, the 25-year-old would enter restricted free agency in late June.
For on-court basketball reasons, there are many reasons for the Rockets to want Eason back â starting with his defensive contributions.
âI thought he did a great job, defensively, on LeBron (James) in the playoffs,â Rockets general Rafael Stone told Vanessa Richardson of Space City Home Network (SCHN).
And beyond any one-on-one matchup, there are also intangible factors to consider. In his conversation with SCHN, Stone said of Eason:
I do want to compliment him on his level of fearless fight, every game. You donât worry that Tari is not gonna compete, and I love that about him. At its core, thatâs who we as an organization are and want to continue to be. I just think he fits us really well.
The Rockets are in line operate above the NBAâs 2026-27 salary cap, no matter what, so the expectation is that theyâll find a way to retain Eason using Bird rights. Should he leave, they wouldnât have anything close to an equivalent salary slot to replace him.
Tari Eason will enter restricted free agency after the 2026 NBA Finals if no agreement is reached during the exclusive negotiating window.
Tari Eason had a notable defensive performance, particularly against LeBron James, according to Rockets general Rafael Stone.
Rafael Stone views Tari Eason's mentality as a key factor that contributes to the team's overall performance and success.
The exclusive negotiating window for Tari Eason begins once the 2026 NBA Finals conclude next month.

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Despite setbacks, Hearts remain hopeful for a strong season finish.
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But for future financial planning and luxury tax purposes, theyâd certainly prefer his contract to be as team-friendly as possible.
The Rockets and Eason tried and failed to reach an extension agreement ahead of the 2025-26 season. However, both sides knew that re-engaging after the season was always possible, and the restricted status gives the team the ability to match any outside offer. So, patience was a realistic option for both sides.
And for the Rockets, they did learn more about Eason in the months since those negotiations. Prior to 2025-26, Eason had widely been viewed as something of an injury risk after missing significant time in his second and third NBA seasons due to a recurring issue with his lower left leg.
However, Eason didnât seem to have many issues with that leg this season, and the 6-foot-8 forward was able to play in 66 games (combining both the regular season and playoffs). That might ease some of those previous durability concerns.
In a career-high 25.8 minutes, Eason averaged 10.5 points (35.8% on 3-pointers), 6.3 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game. As alluded to in Stoneâs comments, hremains one of Houstonâs most valued and versatile defenders, as well.
Eventually, Eason is expected to land a deal worth in the vicinity of $22 million annually, the Houston Chronicleâs Varun Shankar reported. The amount of years and guarantees remains unclear.
It is worth noting that Eason enjoyed a strong showing in Houstonâs recently completed playoff series versus the Los Angeles Lakers, as shown by Rockets being 15.7 points better in net rating with Eason on the floor. That on-off differential was second among rotation players, trailing only Amen Thompson.
That could perhaps incentivize the team to get a deal done, sooner rather than later. Easonâs success in the 2026 playoffs came in direct contrast to Houstonâs 2025 first-round series versus the Golden State Warriors, when his -15.1 differential was worst among rotation players.
The Rockets finished each of their last two seasons with 52-30 records and first-round playoff exits, and the internal belief is that continued growth from their âyoung coreâ of prospects can help get the team over that hump. In total, Houston has five first-round players from the 2021 through 2024 draft classes on its roster
Retaining Eason is certainly a key part of that formula.
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: âFearless fightâ: Rafael Stone views Tari Easonâs mentality as key to Rockets