Marcus Smart’s $13 Million Rockets Deal Puts Tari Eason’s Future in Question

The Houston Rockets are making moves. But every move creates a ripple, and right now the biggest question is what happens with Tari Eason.

Marcus Smart agreed to a two-year, $13 million deal with Houston on Tuesday, reuniting with head coach Ime Udoka. Smart turned down a $5.4 million player option with the Lakers to come to Houston, and the deal includes a player option for the 2027-28 season. That’s a solid get for a Rockets team trying to build something real around its young core.

But here’s the thing. Adding Smart makes it harder to keep Eason.

According to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line, the Rockets have been shopping Dorian Finney-Smith in trade talks over the last few days. The goal is to clear enough cap space to offer Smart a multiyear deal in the $7 million annual range. Without moving Finney-Smith, Houston could still sign Smart to a two-year deal worth around $13 million total. That’s the route they took. But it doesn’t solve the Eason problem.

Eason is a restricted free agent, and the Rockets have said they want him back. He’s 24, he’s energetic, and he’s the kind of two-way wing that every contender needs. But the cap math is tight. Houston already committed to Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, and now Smart. The front office is reportedly doing everything it can to create room for Eason, but the clock is ticking.

So what does this mean? It means the Rockets are betting on defense. Smart is a former Defensive Player of the Year. Udoka knows him from their time in Boston. That pair helped take the Celtics to the 2022 NBA Finals. But Smart is 32 now, and his offensive game has always been a little erratic. He’s not the same player he was three years ago.

Houston also added free agent guard Bogdan Bogdanovic on a one-year veteran minimum deal. Bogdanovic is a pure shooter, a guy who can space the floor and let the young guards operate. That’s a smart, low-risk signing. But it’s another body in the backcourt rotation.

Eason averaged 9.8 points and 5.8 rebounds last season. He’s not a star, but he’s useful. He defends multiple positions, he crashes the glass, and he doesn’t need the ball to be effective. Those guys are hard to find on the open market. Letting him walk would be a mistake, especially if the only reason is a roster crunch.

The Rockets are clearly serious about making a playoff push in 2026-27. Adding Smart and Bogdanovic gives them depth on both ends. But the Eason situation is still unresolved, and until it is, this offseason feels incomplete.

It’ll be interesting to see how the front office navigates the next few days. They might find a taker for Finney-Smith. They might not. Either way, Tari Eason is the name to watch.