Ethan s contract renewal has made new progress! The Rockets are trying their best to keep people, the two sides have already had contact, Stone is planning the worst

As one of the key young players within the Houston Rockets, 24-year-old forward Tari Essen is a very comprehensive player. Although his offensive skills are not good, his shooting is not very accurate, and his defensive end is not the kind of top defensive player, he wins in all aspects. On the defensive end, he can defend any position, and on the offensive end he can both shoot three-pointers and break through to the basket and score layups, and he is also a rebounder.

In the summer league of rookie season, he is one of the best rebounders in the summer league. Whether it is the protection of backcourt rebounds or the fighting for frontcourt rebounds, he is at the top level. Although he is a small forward or a power forward, he is one of the rare rebounding masters in the league in terms of rebound protection.

Now the Rockets' 2021 rookie Jabbarry Smith Jr. has reached a contract renewal with the team. Although he still has one more rookie contract next season, the Rockets gave Jabbarry Smith Jr. a five-year, $122 million early contract renewal this summer. If the Rockets don't trade him in the next five years, Ethan's teammate Smith Jr. will stay with the Rockets forever.

But forward Ethan, who is the same as Smith Jr., has not reached a contract renewal now. Do the Rockets want to keep Ethan, or do they think their salary space is insufficient to keep Ethan, which may affect Amen Thompson's contract renewal? We don't know. On August 23, according to the Rockets' team reporter Kelly Iko, the Rockets' attitude is now very clear. They want to keep Ethan so that the 24-year-old striker will still play in Space City in the future. After all, although Ethan is only a role player among the Rockets, his comprehensive ability is highly valued by Uduka. Now that the Rockets have contacted Ethan, they have negotiated and communicated on renewing the contract in advance, and they also want to reach an early renewal agreement as soon as possible.

However, the Rockets are now infinitely close to the salary cap, lower than the rich line. If Ethan can be kept as soon as possible and his contract renewal is finalized, the Rockets' future salary space plan will be clearer. So some sources said that the Rockets hope to renew Ethan's contract as soon as possible.

Although such negotiations may also be delayed until the start of the new season, I believe the Rockets and their general manager Rafael Stone have also made the worst plan, that is, the two sides cannot reach an agreement and cannot reach a contract renewal agreement, or wait until the restricted free agent market opens next summer before discussing the contract renewal. However, the Rockets do not want such a distraction factor to be caused by such a renewal, so the Rockets are also afraid that the nights will be long and dreams will be too long, and they are also afraid that Ethan will leave after the contract expires. So it may be the best solution to the best of both worlds to open a new contract as soon as possible and keep this 24-year-old forward.

The Rockets cannot do without Ethan's rebounds, defense and his fighting spirit, and Ethan is also like a fish in the Rockets. What's more, Uduka likes Ethan who is comprehensive and tough in defense very much, so it may only be a matter of time before he can be left. However, the Rockets need to make plans to not renew Ethan's contract, or trade him as soon as possible is also a very good choice. After all, the Rockets' forward line already has so many excellent players.