Tari, DFS, and FVV were not going to limit Sengun, Durant, Amen, and Adams's minutes by much. FVV, even though I'm one of the higher people on FVV, may have had an adverse effect as Reed and Holiday take a lot of threes. I don't consider JSJ as a player that takes many 3s as he's just slightly above median (likely below median for non-centers).
I now see our true core as Amen, Sengun and Reed. I probably wouldn’t trade any of those players. Reed is showing star potential so you need to see what u have; Amen and Sengun are guaranteed to be stars and only 22/23. Those are the guys you don’t trade. Bari snd Tari are probably high end role players, so they aren’t untouchable, but you only trade them as part of a package for a star player. Honestly if we do nothing more with the roster except hold onto those 5 players, our floor would be a playoff team for the next 7-8 yrs. The next smart move is to either lock up Tari on a reasonable deal or trade him as part of a package for another star player who isn’t over the hill. The org should know what they value Tari at, and know what Tari’s team will accept. If there’s a big gap, they need to take decisive action. Losing Tari for nothing this offseason to a cap space team that is willing to overpay would be a terrible outcome. And there will definitely be a lot more cap space teams this offseason. Tari will be highly sought after. For me it’s this simple: trade him at the deadline, or sign him to a reasonable contract extension his offseason. If we fail to do either we are badly mismanaging the Tari situation. Matching an over-pay or losing him for nothing are unacceptable outcomes. @Clutch it would be awesome if u could take on the Tari quandary in any trade deadline podcast u do. I think fans are sleeping on the risk of losing him for nothing this offseason if he’s not traded at the deadline. We clearly won’t match a big offer sheet.
I think it would be in Tari's best interest to sign here if he wants to remain on a competitive team long-term. The only teams that will probably be able to sign him to the type of deal he wants will suck for the next several years.
Amen, Sengun, Reed, and Jabari need to be Rockets for many moons. As to Tari, I still say we need to put him in a deal for a target. The downside risk with the leg, and lack of availability as is... We need to insulate ourselves.
yeah but from Tari’s perspective, he wants to get his first payday (he was an older prospect coming out) and he wants more minutes (and/or to be a starter). Cap space teams can provide both. I think Tari absolutely bolts if he gets the right money/opportunity regardless of team competitiveness.
Tari should go wherever they offer the most money - that is all he should concern himself....now if a winning team offers close to the most he might consider that, but with his history, he needs to bank while he can. DD
Exactly, which is the only sensible thing for him to do. Most NBA careers are short and Tari must be keenly aware of that.
I agree with 90% of what you layout. Two things I'd add. - I think Bari should be added to a Core 4. He brings a unique skillset with size/length to our lineup. He has improved/gotten stronger this year and I expect that to continue. - I agree on trading or signing Tari, but not on the trade target. I don't think we need another proven star, but we rather target a solid vet role player or younger player with potential. Adding another star with KD and our kids could be counter productive. I a;so doubt Tari's health record and contract status would make him a key piece for a star trade. I definitely agree not signing him and just letting him go would be a huge asset waste. If he puts it together and stays healthy, he's a difference maker and a key player on a winning team. Truly wish he could stay on the court!
I think that you're being way too optimistic on what the Rockets will be able to get back for Tari Eason if they were to trade him during the season, and what kind of offer sheets he's going to attract in free agency. Remember, the Rockets have been scouting Tari and have had him in their building for 4+ years. They've watched his rehab, and know the real condition of his leg. They know his medicals better than any other team, and even they weren't willing to sign him to a long term deal this offseason. Caveat that it only takes one buyer, but the odds are stacked against Tari; it's going to take a team willing to OVERPAY via offer sheet in free agency, and potentially tie up cap room, when they have zero visibility into his medical condition. He simply isn't a Kawhi-level player where you gamble on the health because of the upside. Conversely, because you're not allowed to sign an acquired pending RFA to an extension in-season, their value has been substantially depressed in the past. Quentin Grimes only returned Caleb Martin (and required being packaged with a pick!). Rui Hachimura only got 3 second rounders back. Matisse Thybulle plus a high second got back Jalen McDaniels, who the Sixers promptly let walk for 2-years, $9M TOTAL. Cam Johnson was severely undervalued in the KD trade, treated much more as a filler rather than a major asset. Former #2 overall pick Marvin Bagley III cost two seconds, Josh Jackson, and Trey Lyles. Jarrett Allen cost a low first rounder. About the only deal I could find in the last three seasons where trading a pending RFA received substantial compensation back was Josh Giddey for Alex Caruso, and that ended up being a win-win for both sides. I feel pretty confident that the right move is to hold onto Tari through the end of the year. Not really worried about having him walk, and not expecting a great deal to materialize that will be worth compromising the depth of this team when they're trying to compete in the playoffs.
so I think this entire take is reasonable. And I may be overestimating Tari’s value, but really good players just don’t get to free agency very often anymore. The limited pool that do provide a real opportunity for teams that are rebuilding and have lots of cap space. Acquiring a good player without having to give up assets is really valuable. And overpaying isn’t that big of a deal to a team like Brooklyn because it’s gonna be a few years until they are competitive. They are gonna have plenty of space. There are other teams like that too. I have to quarrel with your examples. Grimes hadn’t shown out yet. Tari’s better than Rui, Thubulle and McDaniels. It’s hard to measure Brooklyn’s value of Cam Johnson in the Durant trade, but I’m pretty sure he was not just a throw-in, and they ultimately got an unprotected 1st from Denver for moving him. Bagley was a known bust at that point. I’ll agree that Jarret Allen for a late first was a steal and our loss. I’m willing to concede that Tari by himself won’t net a star player, but as part of a package he could return significant value. He will be one of the better young prospects available and teams know the rockets won’t match a big offer. I think the best argument for just taking the risk of losing him for nothing this summer is our chance at a championship. But I think there’s a real chance he gets an offer sheet this summer, and if we can get a draft pick and a playoff contributor I think you make that deal and just recycle that value. but I can see it both ways.
Very reasonable. I wouldn’t trade him, unless the return was a really good pick in the 26 draft and I don’t think that will happen. Might as well ride it out with him.
For my examples, here's the rough estimated contracts they ended up signing after being traded in the following summer, scaled to the predicted cap in 2026. Rui: 3 years, $19.2M starting salary (increasing) Thybulle: 3 years, $12.8M starting salary (flat) Bagley: 3 years, $15.25M starting salary (flat) Johnson: 4 years, $29.8M starting salary (decreasing) Allen: 5 years, $29.5M starting salary (flat) Grimes: QO, was looking for $20 - 25M per year. All of them were playing somewhere between 20 - 30 mpg in their 4th year, and every single one of them had started more games than Tari. I think they cover the range of what we would expect Tari to get on his next contract; $12-15M would be a steal, $20M would be dependent on the guarantee structure, and $30M would be a huge overpay. And the fact that Tari's advanced stats and eye-test impact on the court is definitely balanced out by the fact that he's played less games than Zion Williamson since 2023. I say this as a fan of Eason from the moment I started looking at draft prospects in 2022. But the market is the market. All we can do is to look at what has historically happened to players in his contractual situation to inform us of what is likely to occur in the future. It's not fated or etched in stone, but it certainly seems likely to follow a similar path.
I'm with the view that you won't get a whole lot in return trading Tari in season. Teams are going to be wary about his health if the Rockets are giving up on him. Hold on to him and see how he holds up and how he performs. Of course, if someone offers something really good, you pull the trigger.
I believe the best outcome would be to resign Tari on a fair value contract. I feel like it’s the org’s job to know if that’s realistic. And if not, don’t lose him for nothing.
Tari would benefit a lot from being around Durant, so for his sake his agent should just try to let him stay longer.
