That would be a problem if Amen slides into the 2 spot with no shooting capability beyond 12 ft. Trading Green is problematic since there would be a hole at the 2 unless they plan on moving Amen to the 1 and trade or somehow acquire a solid shooter and defender in the 2 spot.
I don’t see the rebuilding Nets trading away good picks for Jalen Green. I could see them trading some of their late picks to move up or for a guy like Cam Whitmore, who they were rumored to be very high on in the 2023 draft. I doubt the rockets are looking to acquire late 2025 1st rounders unless they are being passed through to another team as part of a trade.
Losing Green the player makes Rockets worse. Losing Green's contract and using the trade exception generated to get a better player makes the Rockets better along with snagging picks more tham losing Green hurts.
Amen should start at PG either with Jalen (who I think performs better with Amen) or with a Jalen replacement (maybe Reed but I doubt it). Because of Amen’s defensive prowess, a guy like Sexton or Lavine could work for a couple of years. If we get Durant, we can live with a backcourt of Amen and Jalen and Durant can replace Dillon who would be a great bench player. For us to take the next step, FVV has to go and Amen has to step up as a backcourt player (which I think he will do).
I can see both sides to it. He could be a 1 with not much range much like Rondo first 5-6 yrs or so except he’s much better at getting to the paint than Rondo. But he works well with Rockets having the ball in another facilitator’s hands as he gets the favorable one on one matchups on the wing, dunker’s spot/short corner, or near the elbows. I wonder how he would play if defenses double and trap him. It’s interesting though and I believe Rockets coaches believe he works best as this hybrid 1/2/3 guy who works off a main facilitating PG for the most part. We really don’t know how well he would perform as a starting 1. That would a bold coaching move that could propel him to the next level
I can see it both ways as well. Awhile back Ime and Stone were saying that they envisioned where we could have 2 or 3 facilitators and it would hinder the opponents plans to defend us. Great philosophy, but I’m not sure our coach has the acumen to implement it. I also don’t see FVV as an adequate facilitator with his inability to get to and finish at the rim and his slow pace of play. I do think for Amen to reach his potential (which is top 5 player in the league) he needs to initiate the offense most of the time.
I think it would effectively be Amen playing point guard and FVV playing shooting guard on offense, and vice-versa on defense (depending on matchup)
It would be TBD, but I believe in the end we would be better. Jalen is a drag on this team - his being mentally soft and unreliable under pressure needs to be addressed. Cam is a stronger, taller, more aggressive player, and Reed is a better shooter.....in the end, I believe we would be a better team. DD
Pretty much how a Sheppard/Green backcourt should've looked if Green had panned out tbh, just Amen's a much bigger and stronger 2 with even less shooting.
Hearing the Lakers are offering a 2030 second round pick for Jalen….do it or not? Just kidding, but sadly half this board would say “yes” to that trade.
I might, I just don't value Jalen as a player or someone that contributes to winning basketball - at the highest levels. DD
I just dunno. Frankly, I trust him attitudinally. I believe he has value. In a decent deal I’d not cry backwards’ for having him evolve positively elsewhere.
The hypothetical trade can't happen because CBA rules exist, but yes, if the Rockets magically can ditch Green's salary for 2nd round pick and use that money to sign Naz Reid, who shot 51/40/76 split in the playoffs, then that would indeed make the team better.
I don't like Green but you tearing him down to cheerlead Cam is sad. Cam sucks. He'll make us worse then we are with Green which I never thought I'd say that. We'll see with Reed
@ 13:30 they talk about Jalen Green trade. Kinda shows what the general consensus is on Jalen Green and his value around the league. Cam was atrocious this year but a more defensively focused Cam (and let's face it if Jalen can do it so can Cam) is a better player than Jalen Green.
I'm very skeptical on Jalen's value around the league. I don't think he has a whole lot of value to tanking teams - sure, they'd park his salary in their cap space for a price and gamble on his improvement, but they aren't buying the talent as a foundational piece. But again, you are going to be paying for that - not getting a return. Then there's teams over the 2A who want to cut salary - like Boston? who could save ~$8.3m in salary swapping the max $41.6m for Jalen's $33m. They don't have a huge drop in talent while you end up with a better player but at the cost of cap space. Other than that, I can't see teams thinking "Jalen is the key to our future." Not as a star and not as a role player. He's just too inconsistent.
The 35m dollar pill with a player option in year 3 is poison to a contender. Jalen absolutely has to consistently produce and he just doesnt. So his only real value is to a tanking team that can deal with 2 years of tire kicking and then be able to trade it on year 3. It'll be easier once this contract expires and he can settle into a 6th man role at a more manageable salary. Will be better for him and better for whatever team hes on (though I see him being on 4-5 teams by the time his second contract ends).
I see this a lot "6th man" .... and I wonder, doesn't a 6th man need to be a good shooter? That's not Jalen. He's a streaky shooter .... maybe he's hot, maybe he's not. A 6th man needs to have some level of consistency, not 0-6 one night and 4-6 the next.
That's why people have Jalen pegged as a 6th man. You bring him in and if he's hot he can win you a game. If hes not you just bench him. That's essentially what he is now anyway. Most 6th men are that because of general inconsistency compared to their starter counterparts. The people that had him pegged as that early on were right.
