The Houston Rockets have opted not to offer max contracts to their rising stars, Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun, as both players enter the final year of their rookie-scale deals. According to NBA insider Shams Charania, while discussions between the Rockets and the players’ camps have been productive, neither Green nor Sengun is set to receive a max extension at this time.
Charania shared on ESPN’s NBA Countdown that both Green and Sengun believe they are worthy of max contracts due to their production last season and their future potential. However, the Rockets’ front office has not made such offers.
“The Rockets front office and both Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun, their camps they’ve had productive conversations, resourceful conversations, but at the end of the day both players have belief in their play and their production last season and what their ceiling could be that they are maximum type of contract players potentially down the line,” Charania said.
“The Rockets will present and have presented both players with deals that bring some level of stability right now, but if both players want to bet on themselves and play it out into the year into restricted free agency, that’s really the tug and pull right now. These players that are up for extensions, there’s not a max contract on the table right now.
“If there was a max contract on the table, there would have been an extension signed,” Charania added, indicating that both players are now faced with a decision to either accept current offers or wait for restricted free agency.
Green is currently playing under a four-year, $40.8 million contract, while Sengun is on a four-year, $15.5 million deal. Both players have demonstrated their value on the court, with Green averaging 19.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.5 assists last season, and Sengun putting up career-best numbers of 21.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 5 assists per game.
Despite their impressive performances, the Rockets are focusing on offering contracts that provide stability, but not the lucrative max deals that Green and Sengun’s camps may have anticipated. This decision creates a “tug and pull” dynamic, where both players must decide whether to bet on themselves and pursue larger deals through restricted free agency next summer.
The lack of a max contract offer does not necessarily signal a lack of belief in Green and Sengun’s abilities, but rather a strategic move by Houston to retain financial flexibility. This decision comes at a pivotal time as the Rockets continue to rebuild their roster, seeking to balance the development of young talent with maintaining long-term salary cap health.
While both Green and Sengun have yet to make their final decisions regarding the contract offers, the option to play out the year and enter restricted free agency remains a viable path. For now, the Rockets will await the players’ decisions ahead of the Monday deadline for rookie-scale contract extensions.
With Green and Sengun playing crucial roles in Houston’s future, their performances in the upcoming season will be closely watched as they negotiate their place within the team and the league.
