Reported 'Weird Dynamics' Between Sengun, Green in Contract Extension Hopes

A well-known NBA media member said on his podcast that the late-season success of Jalen Green has complicated Alperen Sengun's max contract extension hopes.

Mar 10, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun (28) / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Contract extension dates are rapidly approaching for members of the 2021 NBA Draft class, meaning players like Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green will be in search of new deals soon.

According to a recent podcast episode from Sam Vecenie of The Athletic, however, the success of both players could make contract negotiations more complicated for the Rockets, Sengun and Green.

"The team that is most important to talk about, in terms of, what exactly it is that they're doing, is Houston," Vecenie said. "Houston has both Alperen Sengun, the No. 16 overall pick from 2021, and Jalen Green, the No. 2 overall pick from 2021, as potential extension candidates until the first day of the NBA season here. Sengun is obviously the one of those two guys who has proven it more, in terms of getting an extension. He was somebody that wasn't quite All-Star quality last year, but was probably one of the 20-to-25 best players in the Western Conference as a 21-year-old. Certainly, guys like that tend to just get (automatic) max contract extensions. However, when you also have Jalen Green ... there are some weird dynamics there that are probably worth discussing."

During his third NBA season, Sengun averaged 21.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, five assists and 1.2 steals per game, finishing third in Most Improved Player voting while leading Houston in scoring and rebounding.

With Sengun sidelined late in the year, however, Green took over as Ime Udoka's primary offensive playmaker. In the final 25 games of the 2023-24 season, the former No. 2 overall pick averaged 24.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and four assists per contest, leading the Rockets on an 11-game win streak during that span.

With both Sengun and Green both showing promise last year, Rafael Stone and company must decide before the start of the upcoming season if the Rockets want to extend both of the aforementioned players, and what their new contracts will look like.

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