Following Kevin Durant’s $90 million extension with the Rockets, it was highly anticipated that Tari Eason will be the next player who signs a contract extension with them. However, the two sides have reportedly failed to reach an agreement on the same before the extension deadline for this summer and hence, Eason will become a restricted free agent in the summer of 2026.
Subsequently, Tari Eason’s mother, Teroya Eason, went on social media and reacted to the aftermath of this situation.
“Believe NOTHING you hear. Easons never money grab. College. NBA. Marketing. Life. We are GIVERS first. When the work is shown, the money is never far. As long as we keep BASKETBALL about BASKETBALL, nobody has lost here. And dark Warriors Twitter go tag your own moms. Make them proud. Happy Hoop Season!” she wrote on X.
According to Danielle Lerner, the Rockets’ beat reporter for the Houston Chronicle, Eason’s failure to sign a contract extension should not be assumed to be his push towards the exit door from the franchise. It should be interpreted as the Rockets’ player’s willingness to wait until the end of the season to potentially earn a much larger contract with the franchise by proving his worth to the team throughout the season.
Eason ended last season averaging 12.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.7 steals in the regular season, while shooting 34.2% from the three-point line. Tari Eason became a noticeable player for the Warriors fans especially since his effort in their regular-season matchup in November 2024 nearly led the Rockets to a 30-point comeback only to fall short in overtime.
The Warriors and the Rockets have been at loggerheads ever since James Harden almost single-handedly became their biggest hurdle in the Playoffs during their dynasty run between 2015 to 2018. Subsequently, following the first-round matchup in the 2024-25 Playoffs between the two teams, the rivalry has been revived and reinvigorated between the two teams.
Teroya Eason was constantly clashing with Draymond Green and Warriors fans on social media in the aftermath of that series. Hence, Eason’s mother anticipated that she would once again come under fire from Warriors fans who seem to pounce at the opportunity of criticizing the Rockets and her son in particular.
Now, heading into the regular season, the Rockets players once again came under criticism from Warriors fans when they claimed that the Rockets consider the Warriors as their biggest rivals in the league right now. It shows that there is still bad blood between the two franchises even months after their matchup in the Playoffs.
