Aduamen Ethan is about to renew his contract, and Tanhualang is in an extremely awkward situation. Give up is the best choice for the Rockets

As the start of the new season gets closer, there is no news about the Rockets recently. One of the few news is handling the contract renewal of Ethan and Durant. In the current news, it is basically a foregone conclusion that these two people stay in the team, and their contracts are actually paving the way for Amen to renew their contract next year. After all, Durant is too old and Ethan does not have the strength to become the cornerstone of the team. Amen is the absolute core of the Rockets' future, so the Rockets need to deal with the renewal of these two people early to avoid variables in Amen's contract renewal.

However, many Rocket experts believe that if the Rockets' three contract renewals are finally left, then there is still another young player on the team that is likely to be given up, that is the 2024 Tanhua Shepard.

G.C. Bellchamber, a famous self-media author of the Rockets FS Forum, said that there is not much time left for Shepard. It now seems that Kevin Durant and Amen may receive a large contract extension that would be complicated by Shepard's situation when he became a restricted free agent two seasons later.

Worse, Shepard was relatively small last season with the Rockets, averaging only 12.6 minutes of playing time, and it remains to be seen whether he can reach his offensive cap. After all, the offseason summer league was a mess.

Ethan was the team's No. 17 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, and is clearly a priority in their upcoming negotiations. Last season, Ethan averaged 12 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 57 games, and his growing role in the team’s substitute means they have to act ahead of his controversial restricted free agent status that could emerge next offseason. Second, the team will almost certainly turn their attention to Durant, who gets Durant from the Phoenix Suns and is seriously considering renewing his contract after the season is over. Durant, 37, may be asking for a salary below the maximum salary contract, but given the level he currently maintains in his career, it will be another huge spend on Houston’s books. In addition, the team has reached a long-term deal with Alperen Shinkyung and Jabbarri Smith Jr., which still makes their future financial flexibility seem less and less.

In this way, Shepard is left. While he’s just finished his first season in the NBA, any discussion about renewal is far away for him, but his potential as a catch-and-shooter threat is huge, and the Rockets picked the young guard with their third pick in 2024, meaning it would be a major task to sign him back with a contract that would be good for the team.

However, Shepard needs to win this contract. Last season, he shot just 33.8% from three-pointers and frankly, he didn't perform much better in his second summer league either. While Shepard may play a more important role this season, he needs to start to show off to gain a spot in the Rockets’ crowded rotation, and if he can’t do that, then the prospects aren’t optimistic about how his character will be shaped for the rest of his rookie contract.

For a team with a lot of cap space, giving a high pick a rookie the contract extension they want is basically something that doesn't need to be considered. However, as far as the situation is concerned, the Rockets don't seem to have much financial flexibility when Shepard's contract renewal expires, which may bring a controversial situation to the young defender, and he has a lower priority compared to Amen Adu and Ethan, so letting him go is the Rockets' best choice.