The Brooklyn Nets are coming off one of the worst seasons that the franchise has seen in recent memory after finishing the 2025-26 NBA season with a lowly 20-62 record. Brooklyn should be able to add a talented, cost-controlled player with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft in June, but could they also target a player in free-agency?
“The Rockets and Eason are in an interesting position. Kevin Durant is a 37-year-old All-Star. Fred VanVleet, almost 32, is out for the year with a knee injury. Eason represents part of the team’s young core, but he’s expecting a significant pay raise,” Eric Pincus wrote about Houston Rockets forward Tari Eason for Bleacher Report. Eason is not only regarded by Pincus and others as one of the best free-agents on the market, but he fits that bill for restricted free-agents as well.
“If Houston pays Eason in the $20-30 million starting range, the franchise could face apron restrictions. If the Rockets pass, letting him leave as a restricted free agent (or sign-and-trade him), the team loses youth, depth, and a tough wing who is shooting 46 percent from three-point range on nearly five attempts,” Pincus continued. “One of the teams with cap room could test Houston’s resolve with a large offer sheet.”
Eason, 25, is coming off a solid season for the Rockets as he averaged 10.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 41.6% from the field and 35.8% from behind the three-point line. While Houston is still trying to win a championship as long as Durant is in town, the team will have to make some tough choices with guard Amen Thompson eligible for an extension and guard Fred VanVleet holding a $25 million player option.
The Nets, who could practically free up around $48 million this offseason, could be one of the teams to put out offer sheets for restricted free-agents like Eason, especially since Brooklyn owes its 2027 first-round pick to the Rockets. Time will tell if Houston is willing to pay whatever it takes to keep Eason on the team, but if his price tag is too much for the Rockets to pay, the Nets could potentially swoop in to get the 3-and-D wing.
This article originally appeared on Nets Wire: Could the Nets pursue Rockets’ Tari Eason in NBA free-agency?
Reporting by Sharif Phillips-Keaton, Nets Wire / Nets Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
