Just before the start of the 2024-25 season, the Houston Rockets made two big moves by extending their two best players, Jalen Green and Alperin Sengun. Re-signing both likely came as a relief to Rockets fans who faced the prospects of their two best players hitting restricted free agency next summer, where anything could have happened.
The Rockets would have had right of first refusal but another team could have structured a deal to hurt Houston. Now, they won't have to worry about that, though Green's deal adds an interesting wrinkle to the team's future plans.
Green signed a rare rookie extension, a "two plus one" deal, which means that only two years of his deal are fully guaranteed with a player option for a third year. That deal gives both him and the Rockets flexibility going forward.
How Jalen Green's contract extension could help the Houston Rockets going forward.
Last season, Green saw his name come up in trade rumors only for him to stick around. That worked out well for the Rockets, who went on a late-season tear, winning 11 straight games at one point with him leading the charge.
From the beginning of March to the end of last season, Green averaged 24.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game, turning around what had been a bad season. Now, he is under contract for at least the next two seasons.
Green will get a big pay raise over his rookie scale contract while also being able to hit unrestricted free agency after his sixth season. That would qualify him for a 25% max contract.
The Rockets have more options regarding Jalen Green.
The extension gives the Rockets a chance to trade him if they were to find a star that could help them win now. Green could end up being that player but if the Rockets determined that another player would get them into playoff contention, then trading a player with at least a year left on his contract would be better than trading him ahead of restricted free agency.
The addendum to this: if they want to trade Jalen Green next summer, it doesn’t have to be through sign-and-trade, so they don’t automatically trigger a first-apron hard-cap for the acquiring team by doing so.
— Sam Quinn (@SamQuinnCBS) October 21, 2024
Houston just made it easier to land a star next offseason. https://t.co/vPO97gWMpa
That allows prospective teams trying to trade for him to know his contract amount instead of acquiring him only to have to negotiate and deal later on. Whether the Rockets actually trade Green would depend on the season.
If he can pick up where he left off late last season, then the contract he signed will be a great one, and he'd fit well playing next to Sengun long-term. If he doesn't or a great offer comes along, then the Rockets could ship Green out.