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The Houston Rockets began what was intended to be a long-term rebuild when they selected Jalen Green with the second pick in the NBA 2021 NBA Draft.
Houston also took Alperen Sengun with the 16th pick that year.
They then traded former NBA MVP James Harden, drafted Jabari Smith Jr. No. 3 overall in 2022 and set a course for their future.
That future looked a bit hazy in 2022-23. Green and Smith got in an heated altercation early in the season. Houston had the league’s second-worst record at 22-60, and it fired coach Stephen Silas in an attempt to right the course.
That new course continued when the Rockets made the controversial decision to hire disgraced former Celtics coach Ime Udoka.
Now it appears that general manager Rafael Stone may have even more tricks up his sleeve.
Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports reports that Houston could look to move on from Green after just two seasons.
“The Rockets, sources said, also addressed the idea of including second-year guard Jalen Green, the No. 2 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, as part of a package for acquiring established star talent,” the report said.
Green has shown impressive scoring ability at times in his first two seasons. He averaged 17.3 points per game as a rookie and 22.1 in year two. But he’s struggled with efficiency, shooting just 34 percent from deep and 48 percent from the field for his career.
He’s also struggled to grow as a playmaker, averaging just 3.2 assists per game to 2.3 turnovers in his first two seasons.
The decision goes hand-in-hand with rumors that the Rockets would like to bring James Harden back to Houston. Harden missed the NBA All-Star game for the first time since the 2012 this season. But he also led the league in assists and the Sixers are currently in the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Should Harden return, it would make sense that Houston would look to move up its timeline to accommodate the 33-year-old who will be 34 when the 2023-24 season begins.