Shams: Tari Eason returns to HOU on five-year deal

Eason was a restricted free agent this offseason, but managed to stay with the Rockets without signing an offer sheet elsewhere. The 25-year-old power forward has been a regular bench option for Houston, appearing in 117 games over the past two seasons while averaging 11.2 points and 6.3 rebounds. Sometimes the best ability is availability and Eason would have more fantasy value if he could play a full season next year.

Donovan has 11 years of NBA head coaching experience between his stops with the Thunder and the Bulls. He won two college basketball championships with the University of Florida. Donovan left the Bulls in April and is putting a pause on his head coaching career. A decorate coach at 61-years-old, Donovan can certainly impart some wisdom on 44-year-old Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson.

Plowden had previously been on two-way contracts with the Warriors, Hawks and Kings. He finally got a chance to play with the Kings last year, appearing in 32 games and averaging 26.4 minutes. Plowden scored 10.8 points per game and had 3.0 rebounds per game. The Kings rewarded the 27-year-old for having the best season of his career, though he still isn’t on the fantasy radar.

Spencer has been with the Warriors for the past three seasons. He had career-highs in games (64), starts (14), minutes (18.6), points (7.2), assists (3.5) and three-point percentage (35.7) last year. Spencer is soon to turn 30 and it remains to be seen how much upside is left here. The Suns believe he’s worth the minimal risk of a two-way contract.

Jones was traded twice and waived in February before the Nuggets picked him up. He appeared in 11 regular season games with Denver and three playoff games. The Nuggets saw enough to bring him back on a one-year deal, but he isn’t in line for a fantasy-relevant role.

Williams is now set to return to the Thunder for his seventh season with the organization and ninth in the NBA. The 31-year-old shooting guard is a role player, but also a career 36.8% three-point shooter who shot 38.8% from behind the three-point line last season. Williams has more real-life value, especially to a contending team like the Thunder, than in fantasy basketball.

Anderson has certainly bounced around, appearing for five different teams over the last two seasons. It looks like he’s found a home for this year, though, with the Raptors gearing up for contention in the wake of the Kawhi Leonard trade. For fantasy purposes, Anderson is a role player and doesn’t have much upside at this point in his career.

Lowry, a first-round pick in the 2006 NBA Draft, spent 20 seasons in the NBA. Nine of those were in Toronto, including all six of his All-Star seasons. Of course, Lowry was a starting member of the 2019 NBA Champion Raptors. He was voted All-NBA once in his career, making the third-team in 2015. Lowry will sign a ceremonial one-day contract with the Raptors before retiring. It could be a precursor to eventually having his number retired by the organization.

Not selected in the 2025 draft, Sandfort spent last season with the Thunder on a two-way contract, appearing in four NBA games. While Thursday’s transaction opens up a two-way slot for Oklahoma City to use on another player, Sandfort is on the team’s Summer League roster.

Simons, who split time between Boston and Chicago, did not play after February 21 due to a lingering wrist injury. As a result, his numbers suffered, with the guard averaging 14.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game in 55 appearances. Simons’ arrival gives the 76ers more firepower off the bench; he’s averaging 15.0 points per game for his career and exceeded 21 points per game in 2022-23 and 2023-24. Depending on injuries, Simons could provide some value in points leagues next season.