The Houston Rockets made an excellent decision when they moved on from Jalen Green in a deal with the Phoenix Suns involving Kevin Durant.
Houston recognized the need to find a better player than Green, who continued to demonstrate that he was only slightly above average. At times, Green was even average for the Rockets due to his poor shooting numbers and below-average defense.
Unfortunately, what made matters worse was that he was on a three-year, $105.3 million deal. He signed that deal with the Rockets, giving him a rookie extension.
Now with the Suns, SP Nations Rickey O’Donnell believes that he has one of the worst contracts in the NBA, naming him one of the most overpaid players in the league.
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“The No. 2 overall pick in 2021, Green can score in bunches when he’s hot, but he’s rarely made a winning impact. His annual March scoring takeovers are fun to watch, but have never been sustainable, and it’s a big reason why the Rockets dumped him in the Kevin Durant trade. Green has talent, but overall he’s an inefficient shot-chucker who doesn’t play defense and doesn’t see the floor well as a passer. Even beyond the KD factor, losing Green feels like addition by subtraction for a Rockets team ready to push for a championship,” he wrote.
There’s certainly a place for players like Green in the league, but he might not be a star, or even an All-Star. There have been points throughout his career where he can get hot and score with the best of them, but for the most part, he’s a low-efficiency guard and doesn’t bring much on the other side of the basketball.
