Referring to Braun& & Daniels early contract extension, what kind of contract should Ethan get?

October 21 at 6 a.m. as the early contract renewal deadline, Tali Eason failed to reach an early renewal agreement with the Rockets. According to Shams, a well-known reporter, Ethan and the Rockets failed to reach an agreement on many aspects of their differences, and Ethan will become a restricted free agent next year in the offseason.

From the Rockets' point of view, Ethan's contract is indeed difficult to give.

On the one hand, Ethan is currently 24 years old and 164 days old. At this age, there is not much potential left to tap. In other words, his style of play has basically been finalized. He has a golden forward height of 203 centimeters, and his defensive ability is obvious to all (averaging at least 1.2 steals per game for three consecutive seasons). However, his three-point production (0.9/2.5) and efficiency (34.5%) per game in the past three years in the Rockets are not particularly outstanding. Generally speaking, defense is currently stronger than offense.

On the other hand, Ethan's position within the team determines his value. Last season, Ethan ranked seventh in the Rockets in both scoring average and playing time per game. With VanVleet, Jaylen Green, Amen, Dillon, and Shen Jing stably occupying the five starting spots, Jabari Smith Jr. (averaging 30.1 minutes per game) and Ethan (averaging 24.9 minutes per game) were respectively the sixth and seventh players in the team's main rotation.

Ethan is the seventh man in the Rockets' rotation system. The bigger the contract he gets, the more damage he will do to the team. Spending an average of 25-30 million per year on a substitute obviously cannot convince the shrewd Stone.

With reference to Braun’s 125 million in 5 years and Daniels’ 100 million in 4 years, how big a contract should Ethan get if he stays with the Rockets?

Braun renewed his contract in advance for 5 years at US$125 million. The average annual contract of 25 million is basically the standard market pricing for 3D players in the NBA today.

Braun is the No. 21 pick in the first round in 2022. When he won the championship with the Nuggets in 2023, he was just a rookie. He averaged 4.7 points, 2.4 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 15.5 minutes per game in the regular season. He averaged 3.2 points, 2.1 rebounds and 0.6 assists in 13.0 minutes per game in the playoffs - a substitute player who averaged 13-15 minutes per game, with extremely limited abilities.

Pope, one of the Nuggets' starting five, switched to the Magic last summer for 66 million in three years, which also gave Braun a chance to take over.

In the 2024-25 season, Braun officially served as the starting shooting guard, averaging 15.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.1 steals in 33.9 minutes per game, with a three-point shooting percentage of 3. 9.7%; in this year's playoffs, Braun played 38.9 minutes per game, averaging 12.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.2 steals per game. There is no doubt that Braun was one of the important contributors to the Nuggets reaching the second round tiebreaker.

As a third-year player, Braun was able to get nearly 39 minutes of playing time in the playoffs. Defense is his biggest selling point. After Pope left, he basically assumed the important task of leading the opponent's ball-handling ace. After all, the Nuggets also had Murray and Porter Jr. on the outside last season. Braun was actually the Nuggets' best starting outside defender last season.

Braun also provides certain space attributes on the basis of defense. In the regular season, he averaged 39.7% three-point shooting percentage per game (1.1/2.8); after being targeted by the Clippers and Thunder in the playoffs this year, he still averaged at least 1.5 three-pointers per game.

Braun can provide 3D value next to Teacher Yao, which is enough for the Nuggets management. Moreover, he has not yet occupied the ball rights. He is only in his fourth year in the new season and there is still room for improvement. A five-year contract with an average annual salary of 25 million basically confirms that Braun will serve as the starting No. 2 position for the Nuggets for a long time in the future.

The average annual price of a 3D peripheral is RMB 25 million for 5 years, which is in line with the market and very cost-effective.

"Saint Thief" Dyson Daniels signed a four-year, 100 million contract extension with the Hawks in advance. The Hawks successfully lowered the price. In fact, Daniels' defense is worth an average of 30 million per year.

The third-year Daniels averaged a terrifying 3.0 steals per game for the Hawks last season. He led the league in steals, was the best defensive team, and was voted second in DPOY voting. He was the league's top perimeter defensive lock last season.

Considering that Daniels is only 22 years and 218 days old now, and still has a height of 203 centimeters as his basic base, the defense of this large defensive outside player is completely worth at least 30 million in annual salary.

The main reason why Daniels is underpriced is his offense and shooting. Last season, his free throw percentage was only 59.3%, and there is huge room for improvement.

Daniels was not good at shooting in the first two years of his career. He averaged only 0.5 three-pointers per game in his rookie season and 0.7 three-pointers per game in his sophomore season. This year, despite being frequently missed by opponents on long-range shots, Daniels made 34.0% of his three-pointers. He averaged 3.1 three-pointers and 1.1 three-pointers per game. His production and efficiency have improved.

The third-year Daniels was selected as the Most Improved Player last season after averaging 14.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 3.0 steals per game. Now 22 years and 218 days old, there is still potential to be tapped. The Hawks have actually earned 100 million in 4 years.

Defense and size determine Daniels' lower limit. His ball usage rate last season was only 18.0%. If he develops ball-handling and shooting in the future, his future will be limitless. After all, he has only completed his third season and his future will be limitless.

As the Rockets' seventh man last season, Ethan's contract renewal issue is actually very difficult.

Ethan is in the fourth year of his rookie contract in the new season, which means that the contract extension will begin in the 2026-27 season. The contract extension the Rockets can give him must take into account the salary situation of the entire team in the 2026-27 season..

In the 2026-27 season, Durant's salary is 43.27 million, Shenjing is 35.64 million, Adams is 13 million, Fan is 13.34 million, Smith is 23.64 million, Capela is 7.04 million, VanVleet has 25 million player options, Sheppard (11.11 million) and Amen (12.26 million) team options, the total salary of 9 people is 186 million US dollars. Salary expert Bobby Marks estimates that the Rockets are currently $14.98 million above the luxury tax line, $23.98 million below the first wealthy line, and $36.98 million below the second wealthy line.

Once the Rockets start paying luxury tax for many consecutive years, this means that the larger the contract extension given to Ethan, the more luxury tax they will have to pay. The maximum starting salary they can offer Ethan for a contract extension is no more than the second richest line.

Ethan's current biggest selling point is defense. With a standard forward size of 203 centimeters, he also surrendered a 36.8% three-point shooting rate in this year's playoffs. He has the potential to become a starting-level 3D striker in the future. There is nothing wrong with maximizing his own interests with a big contract.

Ethan's difficulty in renewing his contract lies in his team positioning and rotation order in the Rockets. Durant and Amen, the two top strikers, have steadily occupied the two starting positions. Smith's defensive size and shooting stability are also higher than Ethan's rotation priority. With VanVleet reimbursed for the season, Eason's rotation position is still ranked 5-6. The Rockets obviously do not need to spend a lot of money on a player who is between the starter and the substitute.

Referring to the contracts between Braun and Daniels, the Rockets give Ethan an average annual salary of about 25 million, which is basically a reasonable price in line with market conditions.

If you give him too much, the Rockets don't need to pay a high salary to support a substitute; if you give him less, Ethan's team will not be reconciled. Becoming a restricted free agent and then discussing contract renewal or signing first and then trading may be the best solution for the Rockets and Ethan at present.