ESPN’s Bobby Marks Talks Jalen Green Contract Extension

Rockets guard Jalen Green has an interesting contract decision coming up.

Apr 9, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green (4) warms up prior to the game / Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports

Fresh off a rollercoaster season for Houston Rockets, Jalen Green is now set to earn his first post-rookie deal.

Drafted in 2021 second overall, Green has long possessed top-tier talent, averaging 17.3 points and 2.6 assists on 43% shooting overall in his debut season. Despite plenty of improvement in a variety of areas in his third season — decision-making, shot selection and more — he still only upped his production to 19.6 points and 3.5 assists per game on 43% shooting.

His importance to the team, but lack of tangible improvement, is undoubtedly going to lead to interesting contract discussions. Even more, his draft mate Alperen Sengun is likely rightfully set to command a $225 million max contract around the same time.

I’m not writing him a five-year, $225 million dollar check,” ESPN’s Bobby Marks said a his segment. “Five years, $160 million. That’s fair. More than Devin Vassell — certainly fair — better player.”

There’s likely some merit to the discussion. It’s hard to walk headlong into offering Green the maximum amount with the Rockets surpassing the 25-win mark for the first time since James Harden’s departure.

Should they feel confident in Green’s late-season development — which saw him average 24.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game while shooting 45% overall in a hot Rockets stretch —  the offer could ramp up to $200 million.

Regardless, the front office seems to be in no hurry to make that deal just yet.

“The way the CBA is set up, you can extend,” General Manager Rafael Stone said. “You don’t have to. And you can always revisit next summer. So in that sense there’s no gun to our head. We’ll have conversations, we’ll see what makes sense for us, what makes sense for them, and then both sides will end up making whatever decisions we make.”

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