Average of 12+6+1, is he more expensive than Smith Jr.? I m afraid that the contract of 120 million cannot be kept, Stone is worse than a trade

It can be said that since the Rockets introduced Durant, Finney Smith and Okogie this summer, the Rockets' forward strength has improved significantly compared to last season. Although the Rockets' forward line lost two fierce players, Whitmore and Dillon Brooks, the arrival of Durant, Finney Smith, Okogie and several two-way contract forwards have made the Rockets' forward depth better.

Don't forget that in this position, the Rockets have renewed their contracts with two veterans, Jeff Green and Tate with basic salary. Moreover, the original two forwards of the Rockets Ethan and Smith Jr. are also very capable. They are also players trained by the Rockets themselves through the draft. Although the two are not at the All-Star level yet, their performance has been improving. The Rockets have used a five-year, $122 million early contract renewal this summer, leaving behind 22-year-old Jabbarri Smith Jr. Smith Jr. is expected to become the Rockets' starting power forward next season, cooperating with Shin Kyung in the interior. Ethan has not officially signed a contract renewal with the Rockets so far. You should know that after next season, Ethan will become a restricted free agent.

If other teams have generous contracts and the Rockets cannot follow up, then Ethan will be snatched away by other teams, which is unacceptable to the Rockets, and the Rockets cannot allow Ethan to leave the team in vain. So, renewing Ethan early is the Rockets’ most important thing, but obviously some experts believe that Ethan’s contract extension will be more expensive than Smith Jr.

In 57 games last season, Ethan averaged 25 minutes of playing games, and was able to send 12 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.9 blocks. The data looks pretty good, but although Ethan has comprehensive abilities on the court, he does not have outstanding skills. In terms of shooting, his three-point shooting percentage is only 34%, and he lacks the ability to hold the ball and the ability to shoot mid-range.

Although Ethan has a deep attainment in rebounding, he knows a little about all skills, but is not considered proficient. This is Ethan's biggest problem. More importantly, in the past three years of his career, except for his high appearance rate in the rookie season, Ethan's attendance rate in the other two seasons was relatively low, especially in the second season, when he almost kept recuperating and played more than 20 games for the Rockets. So, although Ethan has the ability, it is not certain to say that he is better than Smith Jr.

It is reported that Ethan's contract extension should be more expensive than Smith Jr., which means that if the contract amount does not exceed 120 million, Ethan may not sign a contract with the Rockets. Whether from the perspective of data or personal abilities, we have not found that Ethan is stronger than Smith Jr. And as an older rookie, Ethan is now 24 years old, and he is two years older than Smith Jr., so his development space and potential are far inferior to Smith Jr. Smith Jr.'s contract is only 5 years and 122 million yuan, and Ethan has a larger contract than Smith Jr., which is obviously a bit unreasonable, so the 120 million yuan contract cannot be kept.

So instead of letting Ethan be signed by other teams next season, it is better to trade him before the offseason or next season's trading deadline. After all, the Rockets' forward line is not short of manpower at all, and so many forwards can't allocate their playing time. Without Ethan, the Rockets' overall strength will not be affected too much.

What's more, Ethan's position can be replaced by players such as Amen Thompson, Finney Smith, Tate, and Okogie. Ethan can also get more bargaining chips for the Rockets, which is conducive to the Rockets' future team building. This can be said to be a killing two birds with one stone. So if Ethan asks for a high price to renew his contract, then Stone might as well trade him out.