Southwest Notes: Eason, Durant, Poole, Dumars, Johnson
After not reaching an agreement with the Rockets prior to Monday’s deadline for rookie scale extension, forward Tari Eason said on Tuesday that he still wants to be in Houston long-term, per Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required).
“Of course,” he said. “I got drafted here. This is home. The brought me in. Since kind of day one, Houston’s been like home and family to me. So of course.”
Eason seemed well positioned to sign an extension after the Rockets worked out a two-year, $90MM deal with Kevin Durant over the weekend that left them projected to be well below the second tax apron in 2026/27. Instead, he’ll look to boost his value with a strong contract year before hitting restricted free agency next summer. He indicated on Tuesday that he’s comfortable with that outcome and hopes to help the Rockets make a deep playoff run before his rookie contract expires.
“It’s business. It’s nothing personal,” Eason said. “I don’t think it really changes my goal. I’m here to try to win a championship with Houston. That’s really my main focus.”
We have more from around the Southwest:
- Speaking of Durant’s extension, he referred to the decision to sign that contract as a “no-brainer,” according to Lerner (subscription required). “Just talking to (general manager) Rafael (Stone) and (head coach) Ime (Udoka) and how they wanted to build the team, and how I seen myself in this organization, I just thought it was a perfect contract for it,” Durant said. “So I’m glad we can get that out the way, won’t have to worry about external noise throughout the season if I didn’t have a contract signed. So just worry about basketball, and focus on the season.”
- The Pelicans‘ trade for Jordan Poole over the summer was met with somewhat mixed reactions, but the former Warriors and Wizards guard looks like he could be an ideal fit in New Orleans, according to Les East of NOLA.com. Poole appealed to the front office due to his ability to play both on and off the ball and the fact that he’s “obsessed with basketball,” East writes. He also gained championship experience during his time in Golden State. “He won a ring,” teammate Zion Williamson said. “So he knows what it takes to get there and having that experience on this team with him is big for us.”
- In a feature story for Pelicans.com, Jim Eichenhofer looks at Joe Dumars‘ first few months on the job in New Orleans and details why the Hall of Famer was willing to leave his position at the NBA league office to come home and run the Pelicans‘ front office.
- While he has been the subject of some trade speculation in the past, Spurs forward Keldon Johnson continues to solidify his place in San Antonio with each passing year and has become one of the team’s culture bearers, per Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required). “His role has evolved numerous times, and he has never wavered in terms of his commitment and enthusiasm to be here,” head coach Mitch Johnson said. “I think that speaks more than anything I can say.”
Thunder’s Jalen Williams, Isaiah Joe Out For Opener
Thunder star Jalen Williams will not play in Tuesday’s regular season opener vs. Houston as the All-Star forward continues to recover from offseason surgery to repair a torn scapholunate ligament in his right wrist, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, who says (via Twitter) the 24-year-old is not expected to miss extended time.
In a full story for ESPN.com, MacMahon notes that Oklahoma City has been cagey about Williams’ recovery timeline.
“Just whenever I feel like I can be a hundred percent, then I’ll rock out,” Williams said during the preseason. “Part of the process is just figuring out how to get my jump shot back. A lot of it is just trying to get feel back.”
Williams sustained the wrist injury in early April, shortly before the regular season ended, and played with it during the playoffs, which saw the team win its first championship. He just started shooting with his right hand this month, MacMahon adds.
The Thunder’s injury report also includes sharpshooting guard Isaiah Joe, who has been ruled out with a knee issue, per Rylan Stiles of SI.com. Thomas Sorber (season-ending torn ACL), Kenrich Williams (arthroscopic knee surgery) and Nikola Topic (testicular procedure) are sidelined as well.
As for the Rockets, they will be without Fred VanVleet (torn ACL), Dorian Finney-Smith and Jae’Sean Tate, Stiles writes. Both Finney-Smith and Tate are recovering from offseason ankle surgery.
The Rockets announced they will use a jumbo-sized starting lineup on Tuesday consisting of Amen Thompson, Kevin Durant, Jabari Smith Jr., Alperen Sengun and Steven Adams, as Stiles relays.
Rockets Notes: Durant, Extension, Eason, Starters
The Rockets and star forward Kevin Durant formally finalized a two-year contract extension reportedly worth $90MM on Sunday. Head coach Ime Udoka discussed Durant’s new deal, which features a player option for 2027/28, as Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle relays.
“Continuity for a great player being around the organization, and I think we all knew when we traded for him and when he came, it wasn’t a short-term thing,” Udoka said. “So good to get to a point where everybody’s happy and hopefully (he will) finish his career here.”
Udoka also commented on Durant’s willingness to accept a contract that came in about $29MM below the maximum amount he could have been offered, Lerner adds.
“I think a lot of these guys are all about the right things, about winning and whatever it takes to get there, understanding that flexibility matters and it puts us in a good spot when there’s extra money to go around,” Udoka said. “We’re all on the same page as far as what we want to do here and the goal of winning a championship.”
We have more notes from Houston:
- Durant’s extension, which begins in 2026/27, does not include any bonuses or incentives, a source tells Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). While bonuses and incentives used to be a regular feature in NBA contracts, teams have been avoiding them the past two offseasons because they count toward the tax aprons.
- The Rockets and forward Tari Eason are expected to come to terms on a rookie scale extension before Monday’s deadline, according to David Aldridge of The Athletic. A report on Saturday indicated that Houston is hoping to sign Eason to a deal that’s “significantly lower” than Jabari Smith Jr.‘s five-year, $122MM extension.
- The Rockets may not have a set starting five to open the season, Udoka said earlier this week (Twitter link via Lerner). Udoka suggested the starters might be based on matchups, at least until the roster is closer to full strength — free agent addition Dorian Finney-Smith is still recovering from ankle surgery, as is Jae’Sean Tate, though the latter was able to practice on Saturday.
Kevin Durant Signs Two-Year Extension With Rockets
12:15 pm: Durant’s extension is now official, the Rockets announced in a press release (Twitter link).
8:02 am: The Rockets and star forward Kevin Durant have agreed to terms on a new two-year contract extension, his business partner Rich Kleiman tells Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). According to Charania, the deal is worth $90MM and includes a second-year player option for the 2027/28 season.
Houston was one of the teams on Durant’s list of preferred destinations when the Suns put him on the trade block during the summer, so there was an expectation after the two teams agreed to a deal that Durant and the Rockets would work out an agreement of their own sooner or later.
However, there was also a sense that the Rockets weren’t willing to give Durant the maximum extension he was been eligible for, which was worth roughly $119MM over two years (based on a projected $166MM cap). That maximum salary figure would’ve increased slightly at the six-month mark after the trade, but the 37-year-old couldn’t sign an extension longer than two years due to the over-38 rule.
Ultimately, the two sides agreed to an extension that will see Durant take a pay cut from his current $54.7MM salary but still represents a massive payday for a player entering his 19th NBA season. According to Charania (Twitter link), there was an understanding when Durant was dealt to the Rockets that he wouldn’t push for a maximum contract in order to help the team maintain flexibility to build and retain its roster going forward.
Durant has expressed this fall that he feels comfortable in Houston, where he has reunited with one-time Seattle SuperSonics teammate Jeff Green (story via Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle) and fellow University of Texas alums Royal Ivey, D.J. Augustin, and Dexter Pittman, each of whom has a role within the Rockets’ organization (story via Lerner). As Chris Mannix of SI.com wrote in a feature story earlier this week, Durant is hopeful that he’ll retire as a Rocket.
“I’m looking to be here as long as I can, play my last years of my career,” he said. “That’s the intent. I know, I said that about Phoenix, too, but that’s the intent. I would love to do that. I mean, I’m 37 years old and I’m going on 19 years in the league. I want to be solidified in a spot and build with a team with a group of guys that’s going to be around for a while. So hopefully this is it.”
Although Durant’s stint with the Suns didn’t play out as he or the team hoped, the 15-time All-Star continued to put up monster offensive numbers during his time in Phoenix. In 62 games last season, he averaged 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.2 assists in 36.5 minutes per night, with a shooting line of .527/.430/.839.
The Rockets are optimistic that Durant’s ability to score in the half-court setting will raise their ceiling after they struggled in those situations, especially in crunch time, during last season’s first-round playoff series vs. Golden State.
As Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (via Twitter), Houston was projected to be about $80MM below the second tax apron in 2026/27 prior to Durant’s deal. His new salary will come in low enough to allow the club to extend Tari Eason and fill out its roster in free agency next summer while remaining below that threshold. Eason is eligible to sign a rookie scale extension today or Monday — if he doesn’t work out a deal with the Rockets at this time, he’ll be a restricted free agent next summer.
According to Charania (Twitter link), Durant’s new contract – including the player option – increases his total career current and future earnings to over $598MM, which is an NBA record. LeBron James was the previous record-holder, coming in just below $584MM.
Extension Rumors: Daniels, Ivey, Duren, Eason, Braun, Sharpe
After talking to agents and executives around the league, Jake Fischer of The Stein Line states in his latest Substack column (subscription required) that there will likely be few, if any, rookie scale extensions reached before Monday’s deadline that carry an average annual value larger than $25MM. Fischer adds that teams have become more cautious about handing out large deals because of the restrictions that accompany the first and second aprons.
He points to Hawks guard Dyson Daniels as someone who should be in good position to match the five-year, $150MM extensions that teammate Jalen Johnson and Orlando guard Jalen Suggs both received last offseason. However, sources tell Fischer that Atlanta’s front office is willing to let Daniels test restricted free agency next year if he won’t sign on the team’s terms.
Fischer notes that Daniels’ agent, Daniel Moldovan, also represents Josh Giddey, who just went through a months-long standoff with the Bulls in restricted free agency. Fischer adds that Daniels would likely be entering a more robust market for restricted free agents than the one that Giddey faced.
Fischer offers more information on players eligible for rookie scale extensions:
- Jaden Ivey and Jalen Duren haven’t made much progress in their extension talks with the Pistons, sources tell Fischer. He suggests that management might be extra cautious with Ivey following arthroscopic surgery on his right knee this week. Ivey’s camp expects an active market if he does hit free agency, even though he’s also coming off a fractured left tibia that cost him most of last season. Sources describe negotiations with Duren as “tepid” so far, per Fischer, who adds that his representatives are asking for a new deal worth much more than $30MM in AAV and are also optimistic about his prospects on the open market.
- The Rockets are hoping to sign Tari Eason to an extension that’s “significantly lower” than the five-year, $122MM deal that Jabari Smith Jr. accepted this summer, according to Fischer. The outcome of the Eason negotiations will affect what Houston is willing to give Kevin Durant in his extension talks, Fischer adds. With Amen Thompson expected to receive a max extension next offseason, Houston is being careful about not overloading its salary commitments. Fischer talked to capologists who said they would recommend limiting any Durant offers to $80MM over two years. As Fischer notes, it’s not certain that Durant would remain with the Rockets at that number.
- It seems unlikely that Christian Braun will reach an extension agreement with the Nuggets, Fischer states. Sources tell him that Denver is already sending signals that it doesn’t want to become a taxpaying team next season, while Braun and his camp are hoping for a deal at $25MM in average annual value. The Nuggets are also holding extension talks with Peyton Watson, but Fischer suggests a new deal with him may not happen unless they can’t agree to terms with Braun.
- Fischer views Trail Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe as the most likely remaining candidate to hammer out an extension before the deadline. Rival teams that Fischer contacted expect Portland to give Sharpe something in the neighborhood of $100MM over four years.
- Suns center Mark Williams, Jazz center Walker Kessler and Pacers wing Bennedict Mathurin all appear headed for restricted free agency, Fischer states. Of the three, Fischer points to Mathurin as the most likely to change teams because of Indiana’s reluctance to add more long-term salary.
Southwest Notes: Harper, Jones Garcia, Wells, Durant
The reviews were all positive as the Spurs got their first preseason look at rookie guard Dylan Harper Friday night, according to Michael C. Wright of ESPN. The No. 2 pick in this year’s draft sat out the first two games as a precaution after undergoing thumb surgery in September, and he enjoyed the chance to showcase his skills in a game setting.
“Just being back out on the court with them guys, just getting the chemistry going before the season starts, it just felt good to play again,” Harper said. “My teammates do a great job of empowering me, and they’re going to let me know what I do wrong. But ultimately, they’re here to help me out and I’m here to help them out. Just having that confidence behind me is very helpful.”
Harper checked into the game midway through the first quarter and picked up two quick assists on alley-oop passes to Victor Wembanyama and Luke Kornet, per Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News (subscription required). He only played 18 minutes due to a medical restriction, but he ran the offense while he was on the court and finished with a game-high plus-minus rating of +20. He also picked up full-court on defense and vowed that part of his game will get better as his conditioning improves.
“It’s just another step for him and his young career as he’s going to continue to grow,” coach Mitch Johnson said. “Obviously, he made some plays, which hopefully he’ll feel good about. But just to be able to do it in front of fans and in the bright lights, whether it was the plays that people will talk about when he scored, made a shot or made a good pass. Just to be able to go through team defense and run the floor, it is just invaluable experience.”
There’s more from the Southwest Division:
- David Jones Garcia‘s outstanding Summer League performance has carried over into the preseason, McDonald adds in the same story. The 23-year-old small forward, who signed a two-way contract with the Spurs after earning All-Summer First Team honors in Las Vegas, scored 20 points in the fourth quarter and overtime in Friday’s win over Utah. “He’s competitive,” Johnson said. “He is obviously dynamic with the basketball and has the ability to put the ball in the hole. If he can raise that other part of his game to match that, then he’s got a real chance.”
- The Grizzlies are counting on Jaylen Wells to take on an expanded offensive role after trading Desmond Bane to Orlando, notes Damichael Cole of The Memphis Commercial Appeal. That means some play-making duties as well as increased scoring for the second-year swingman. “Overall, I think he’s on a very nice growth trajectory,” coach Tuomas Iisalo said. “He’s being asked to be a secondary handler in our offense right now, and he’s doing a pretty good job with it — like today, when he’s more assertive and finds his spots. I’m very happy with his development.”
- Kevin Durant is already displaying on-court chemistry with Alperen Sengun as he played his first game with the Rockets on Wednesday, writes William Guillory of The Athletic. They ran a two-man game throughout the night that looked polished, even though it was their first time as teammates. Guillory observes that Sengun is the most talented center Durant has ever played alongside, and the combination forces tough decisions for opposing defenses.
Rockets Believe Extension Deal With Kevin Durant Is Close
There’s “optimism” that the Rockets will have an extension in place with Kevin Durant before the regular season begins on October 21, ESPN’s Shams Charania said Wednesday on NBA Today (Twitter video link).
Speculation about a new contract with Durant has been ongoing since Houston reached an agreement to acquire him from Phoenix in June. He’s currently on a $54.7MM expiring deal and will become a free agent next summer unless a new contract can be worked out.
Durant stated at media day that he expects to sign an extension with the Rockets, although he told reporters he wasn’t sure when it might happen. It has been suggested that the team would like to work out a rookie scale extension with Tari Eason first so it has a better grasp on its finances before finalizing a deal with Durant.
With a projected $166MM salary cap for 2026/27, Durant is currently eligible for an extension worth up to $119.1MM over two years. That number would increase to $120.85MM on January 6, which is six months after the trade was finalized.
A report in August indicated that the Rockets are hesitant to give Durant a maximum-salary deal, noting that the extension will cover his age-38 and -39 seasons. That was accompanied by speculation that he might be willing to accept $100MM over two years, which would be a slight decrease from his current salary.
Durant and the Rockets aren’t necessarily under any pressure to finalize a new deal before the regular season begins, since he’ll remain extension-eligible for the entire season, through June 30, 2026.
In an interview on Tuesday with Kay Adams of FanDuel TV (Twitter video link), Durant confirmed that he will make his Rockets preseason debut in tonight’s game against Utah.
“Just get some good run up and down the floor, just to get your wind right,” Durant responded when asked about he hopes to accomplish. “It’s a different feel when you’re underneath the lights, and the whistle and the real game.”
Fischer’s Latest: Sharpe, Daniels, Eason, Dadiet, Knicks
In his latest subscriber-only article for The Stein Line, Jake Fischer expresses some doubt that there will be much more action on the rookie scale extension front before the regular season begins. As Fischer writes, just five players – Paolo Banchero, Jalen Williams, Chet Holmgren, Jabari Smith Jr., and Nikola Jovic – have signed rookie scale extensions thus far, with 16 players still eligible.
Of course, it’s worth pointing out that at this time last year, only four rookie scale extensions had been signed — seven more were completed on deadline day, October 21, and I’d be surprised if we don’t get at least a little flurry of action at this year’s deadline, which will land on Oct. 20.
Still, as Fischer observes, teams who took their fourth-year players to restricted free agency this past summer instead of getting extensions done early had significant leverage in those negotiations. And while more teams are projected to have cap room next summer, which could offer RFAs more pathways to getting paid, some of that projected cap room figures to dry up over the course of the season due to extensions and trades.
One prime candidate for a rookie scale extension this month is Trail Blazers guard Shaedon Sharpe. Fischer says he has heard the Blazers have discussed a potential four-year, $90MM deal for the 22-year-old, while team strategists he has spoken to around the league believe that Sharpe could ultimately match or exceed the four-year, $100MM contract Josh Giddey recently signed with Chicago.
Sharpe played well during the second half last season, averaging 20.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game in his final 29 outings. According to Fischer, the Blazers believe they’ll be well positioned to compete for a postseason spot in 2025/26 if Sharpe carries over and builds on that momentum.
Here’s more from Fischer:
- There’s “some distance” between Dyson Daniels and the Hawks in the early stages of their rookie scale extension negotiations, Fischer writes. Daniels is the NBA’s reigning Most Improved Player and placed second in Defensive Player of the Year voting, so it’s safe to assume he’ll be seeking a significant payday on his second NBA contract.
- While it’s not a necessity, the Rockets would prefer to get an extension done with Tari Eason before finalizing a new deal with Kevin Durant, since that would allow them to know exactly what their cap situation will look like before they make a substantial commitment to the 15-time All-Star, according to Fischer. If Houston works out an extension with Eason, it would likely be for four years, says Fischer, adding that cap strategists think the annual salary will come in lower than the $24.4MM Smith got from the Rockets earlier this year.
- Confirming that the Knicks have contacted multiple teams to gauge Pacome Dadiet‘s trade value, Fischer reports that multiple sources think New York started Dadiet in its preseason opener on Thursday in order to showcase him for a potential deal. Trading Dadiet would allow the Knicks to keep two veteran camp invitees instead of just one. While Malcolm Brogdon and Landry Shamet are widely viewed as the favorites to make the team in that scenario, Fischer has repeatedly heard that Garrison Mathews will get legitimate consideration for a regular season roster spot. Given their respective skill sets, Mathews would be more likely to supplant Shamet than Brogdon.
Southwest Notes: DFS, Eason, Bey, Spurs, Wemby, Prosper
Confirming previous reporting, Rockets head coach Ime Udoka acknowledged on Wednesday to reporters, including Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required), that newly added forward Dorian Finney-Smith will “probably not” be ready for the start of the season as he recovers from June ankle surgery. According to Udoka, Finney-Smith hasn’t yet been cleared for contact, though he’s doing “all the shooting and other things with treatment as well during practice.”
As Lerner writes, the Rockets are also continuing to manage the workloads of center Steven Adams and forward Tari Eason, who were coming off procedures on their right knee and left leg, respectively, last season and didn’t play in both ends of back-to-backs. Houston won’t have a back-to-back this season until the first week of December and it’s unclear whether or not Adams and Eason will get the go-ahead to suit up for both of those games.
With Finney-Smith sidelined for now, Eason will receive consideration for a spot in the starting lineup this fall, according to Udoka.
“We’ll see,” Udoka said. “Good to have athletic wing defenders that’ll do a lot of things that he does, especially with Dillon (Brooks) being gone, but still to be determined, and we’ll see what works well. It’s not just about starting with me, as you know. It’s about what fits best, as far as our group. He wants to push for that. We want him to as well. And we’ll see if he gets it.”
Udoka has spoken this week about experimenting with different types of lineups, per William Guillory of The Athletic, noting that he could try out a unit featuring Kevin Durant, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith Jr., Alperen Sengun, and Adams that would “probably be one of the biggest in the history of the league.”
We have more from around the Southwest:
- Jordan Poole was the headliner of the Pelicans‘ offseason trade with Washington, but the team also added veteran forward Saddiq Bey in that deal. Jim Eichenhofer of Pelicans.com explores what Bey, who is returning from an ACL injury that cost him the entire 2024/25 season, can bring to New Orleans, noting that he’s earning praise from his teammates and his new head coach in camp. “He’s sort of that Swiss Army Knife type of player,” Willie Green said. “He can play multiple positions, score, post up, defend, rebound. Those guys are extremely valuable to a team’s success.”
- The Spurs were one of the NBA’s worst rebounding teams and put up poor defensive numbers when Victor Wembanyama wasn’t on the court last season. They’re optimistic that the offseason additions of centers Luke Kornet and Kelly Olynyk will help address those issues, as Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News writes (subscription required). “We wanted to be able to have that roster versatility to play a bunch of different ways and also protect the paint when Vic’s not on the floor,” general manager Brian Wright said. “I think those guys allow us to do that.”
- After recovering from a blood clot and spending time traveling in China and Japan this offseason, Wembanyama embarked upon a training regimen he described as “brutal,” explaining that he wanted to “get my body back,” according to Jared Weiss of The Athletic. “I can assure you, nobody has trained like I did this summer,” the Spurs star said. “And this is my best summer so far. I can tell the progress is just incredible. I feel better, I look stronger and the scale says I’m heavier. So everything is a green light.”
- With Grizzlies big men Jaren Jackson Jr., Zach Edey, and Brandon Clarke all likely unavailable to open the 2025/26 season, new two-way addition Olivier-Maxence Prosper is among the players making a strong case for a rotation role in the frontcourt during camp, head coach Tuomas Iisalo said this week, per Michael Wallace of Grind City Media (Twitter link).
Kevin Durant Expects To Sign Extension With Rockets
Nearly three months after being officially traded from Phoenix to Houston, Kevin Durant remains on an expiring contract. However, the new Rockets forward, who is celebrating his 37th birthday on Monday, told reporters at media day that he anticipates extending that contract sooner or later in order to remain in Houston.
“I do see myself signing a contract extension,” Durant said (Twitter video link via Danielle Lerner of The Houston Chronicle). “I can’t tell you exactly when that’ll happen, but I do see it happening.”
Based on the latest projection of a $166MM salary cap for 2026/27, Durant is currently eligible for an extension worth up to $119.1MM over two years. That projected total would increase slightly to $120.85MM on January 6, six months after the trade.
However, reporting during the summer suggested the Rockets may be reluctant to give Durant a maximum-salary deal that covers his age-38 and -39 seasons. There has been speculation that an extension could come in closer to $100MM over two years, which would represent a slight step down from his current $54.7MM salary.
Whatever Durant’s next deal looks like, it sounds like he’s confident he’ll get something done with the Rockets. As Lerner relays in her full Houston Chronicle story, the 15-time All-Star also spoke on Monday about why Houston was one of his preferred landing spots when the Suns put him on the trade block during the offseason.
“Just seeing the quick progression of this franchise, where it was right after that James Harden/ Chris Paul era and seeing when (head coach) Ime (Udoka) got here and how he turned it around so fast,” Durant said. “I have some connections here within the organization, people I’ve worked with around the league already, so it felt organic and natural coming into the gym and getting to be a Houston Rocket for the first time. I always had respect for this coaching staff, this fan base, this state, this city. So it feels great.”