Should Houston Rockets Trade Alperen Sengun or Jalen Green This Summer?

The Houston Rockets could trade one of their top prospects to catapult into contention.

Jeremy Brener | Apr 4, 2024

Jan 6, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green (4) celebrate with center / Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

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Houston Rockets

The Houston Rockets are on the outside looking in for the Western Conference playoff picture despite making a host of moves to prevent that in free agency last summer.

The Rockets are hungry for relevancy, and they may be able to expedite the process with a big trade this summer. However, any major deal would likely have to include Jalen Green or Alperen Sengun, both of whom are extension-eligible this summer.

Dec 23, 2023; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) and guard / Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

Bleacher Report believes choosing between one or the other and trading a player could get the team closer to a championship.

"If the Rockets built an offer around Alperen Şengün, a 21-year-old who was in the All-Star discussion this season, or Jalen Green, the 2021 No. 2 pick who was the league's fifth-highest scorer in March, that might be as strong as anyone can put on the table," Bleacher Report writes. "Plus, Houston would still have one of these long-term building blocks and a deep supporting cast surrounding the incoming difference-maker."

However, given the fact that Green and Sengun are taking big leaps just as they turn 22 years old, the potential for both of them to be All-Stars someday is high. And the Rockets would like to continue that development as they move into the prime of their careers, making a trade for either of them extremely unlikely this summer.

The Rockets are back in action tonight as they try to hang on to their faint postseason hopes against the Golden State Warriors. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT.

Published Apr 4, 2024

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.