Negotiations failed! Ethan and the Rockets failed to reach a contract extension agreement and will become a restricted free agent next summer

On October 21, according to the famous reporter Shams, the Rockets and Ethan ultimately failed to reach a contract extension agreement, which also means that Ethan will become a restricted free agent next summer.

Previously, Durant took a two-year salary cut of 90 million to renew his contract with the Rockets, which provided the team with greater room for maneuver. However, in the end, Ethan failed to reach an agreement with the Rockets on a new contract.

When ESPN previously analyzed the issue of Ethan's contract renewal, it analyzed the reasons why the two parties might not reach a contract. ESPN said that the Rockets may consider Eason's injury situation: he underwent season-ending surgery due to a left leg injury in the 2023-24 season, and missed 22 games last season due to the same leg. He played in 82 games in his rookie season, but only played in 79 games in the past two seasons combined. At the same time, Ethan has only started 21 games in his career so far, and there is a high probability that he will still play the sixth man role this season. The contract proposed by ESPN at the time was four years and $80 million.

Last season, Ethan played in 57 games, averaging 12 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.7 steals per game, shooting 48.7% from the field and 34.2% from the three-point range.

Rockets media person Will wrote: "The Rockets and Ethan failed to reach a contract extension before today's deadline. The good news is that this does not mean that we will lose him. The existence of the restricted free agent system can prevent players from leaving the team directly after the rookie contract expires. Next summer, no matter what offer Ethan receives, the Rockets have the right to match. But there are two points in the bad news. First, I am not sure how Ethan will view this failure to renew - Obviously he very much hopes to finalize this contract, and I definitely don’t want him to fall into a passive situation of ‘proving himself’ next season. Second, although this does not mean that Ethan will leave the team in the free market, it does increase the possibility that the Rockets will consider trading him. "

According to reports from multiple reporters, in addition to the Rockets' Ethan, the Spurs' Sohan, the Pacers' Marcelin, the Jazz's Kessler, the Nuggets' Watson, the Pistons' Ivey and Duren also failed to reach an agreement to renew their rookie contracts with their respective teams before the deadline.