Jalen Green has one more year on his rookie contract with the Houston Rockets and the front office has hesitated to give him a maximum contract extension. Among his peers, the Filipino-American guard is sandwiched by Cade Cunningham and Evan Mobley, who both got max extensions with their respective teams that drafted them.
The Rockets just recently drafted Reed Sheppard, who plays the same position as Green. Many see the writing on the wall that Houston is ready to move forward without him.
In a report by team insider Sam Amico, the Rockets have been shopping for other NBA teams. One trade that became prominent was with the New York Knicks for Mikal Bridges.
“The Rockets tried to trade Green to the Brooklyn Nets for Mikal Bridges, who was traded to the New York Knicks,” Amico writes.
The Houston Rockets were open to trading Jalen Green for star players such as Jimmy Butler, Mikal Bridges, Paul George, and Kevin Durant, per @AmicoHoops
“The Rockets tried to trade Green to the Brooklyn Nets for Mikal Bridges, who was traded to the New York Knicks, NBA sources… pic.twitter.com/oNXCizieA3
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) July 24, 2024
The details of the proposed trade have not been revealed, but Amici also said that the Rockets tried to trade for other NBA stars, hoping to give them a boost in the stacked NBA Western Conference.
“Houston was also open to moving Green for Phoenix Suns superstar Kevin Durant, Miami Heat All-Star Jimmy Butler, and Paul George when he was on the Los Angeles Clippers,” Amico adds.
Houston Rockets insider sees Reed Sheppard having a higher upside than Jalen Green
For the past season, the Rockets have stacked up their guard rotation by signing Fred VanVleet and drafting Amen Thompson. Picking Reed Sheppard in the 2024 NBA draft begs the question of the security of Jalen Green in the team’s future.
According to Rockets insider Sam Vecenie of “The Athletic” through the “Game Theory” podcast, he feels that Sheppard has just more in his bag than Green, judging from his recent NBA Summer League performance.
“That’s no shot at Jalen Green, I just think Reed’s passing and playmaking, and feel, are just worlds ahead of where Jalen Green is. Jalen has all the athleticism and separation ability, and all that stuff– but the ability to make plays for your teammates and be an unselfish player, I don’t know,” Vecenie said.
In the 2023–24 season, Green appeared and started in all 82 games. He was able to provide the team with 19.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists. He also shot 43% from the field and made 32% of his three-point attempts.
