On Monday night, the Rockets lost 101-100 to the Bucks and are 10-5 this season. That is fourth in the Western Conference and just one game out of first place. Houston has a mic of veteran talent with young players on their roster in 2024-25 and they’re enjoying success.
The Rockets are 7-3 in their last 10 and are eager to become a contender in the West again. Houston hasn’t had any postseason success since James Harden left. With the teams’ success through their first 15 games, there have been rumblings around the league that Houston could make a trade. However, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst noted that Amen Thompson and Taro Eason have been deemed “untouchable” in a trade.
Amen Thompson and Tari Eason are ‘untouchable’ by the Rockets in any trade talks
The Houston Rockets have made Amen Thompson and Tari Eason untouchable, per @WindhorstESPN
(h/t @GormanChristoph) pic.twitter.com/4aEGqVyBWH
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) November 20, 2024
On his podcast Brian Windhorst and The Hoop Collective, the ESPN insider discussed Houston’s trade market. In that discussion with his other co-hosts, Windhost mentioned two players who’ve been named “untouchable” by the Rockets in any trade talk. They were Amen Thompson and Tari Eason. Amen Thompson is in his second year with Houston after going fourth overall in the 2023 NBA draft. As a rookie in 2023-24, Thompson played in 62 games and made 23 starts for the Rockets. Through 15 games in 2024-25, Thompson is averaging (11.3) points, (6.7) rebounds, (2.3) assists, and (1.0) steals. He is one of seven players who average double-digit scoring numbers for the Rockets.
Houston’s backup SF Tari Eason is another player who averages over 10 points per game this season with (11.7) through 15 games. This is Eason’s third season with the Rockets. He was the seventh overall pick by Houston in 2022. Along with his (11.7) points, Eason is averaging (6.2) rebounds, (1.1) assists, (1.9) steals, and (1.2) blocks per game. Both Thompson and Eason are quality role players that the Rockets value highly. They also used top-10 picks to draft them. Houston wants to give them time to develop before they decide they want to move on. With how the Rockets are playing, it doesn’t look like Thompson or Eason will be moved any time soon.
