The Rockets' faith in Jalen Green has gone way too far

One sign of a team arriving on the scene is being surrounded by big trade rumors throughout the season. That was the case for the Houston Rockets this season as they climbed their way back into the playoff picture for the first time in a long time. It started with Jimmy Butler, then shifted to Kevin Durant and even Devin Booker.

None of those ended up happening and while Durant could still be a possibility, it seems the Rockets are moving away from the idea of potentially bringing in Booker, according to The Athletic's Kelly Iko and Sam Amick. The front office's faith in Jalen Green outweighs their desire to acquire Booker at this time.

“The Rockets have previously held serious interest in the Suns’ Devin Booker, but team sources said that is no longer the case. Not only do team officials still have faith in Jalen Green, who is five years younger than Booker and $66 million cheaper over the next three seasons, but also Booker’s struggles last season shifted the thinking on this front,” writes Iko and Amick.

Rockets' faith in Jalen Green reportedly why team isn't exploring Devin Booker trade

It looks like Houston is doubling down on their young core and not being tempted to sell the house for Booker. This could also carry over to Durant because while there still seems to be interest, the Rockets are proceeding with caution. Either player would demand a lot and come with price tags much heftier than Green’s $33.3 million due next season.

Surely, it sounds a bit absurd that the Rockets would have this much faith in Green following his implotion during their first-round playoff series against the Golden State Warriors in the first round. But, the Rockets view that differently, based on Iko's and Amick's reporting.

"As it relates to Green, whose struggles against the Warriors were widely seen as a red flag when it came to his Rockets future, the internal view is quite different. As the Rockets see it, the Warriors’ choice to eliminate Green on the offensive end with double-teams and blitzes should have been punished to a far greater degree by his teammates. In that sense, there was a shared fault there that they’ll all grow from going forward," writes Iko and Amick.

Meanwhile, even with Phoenix having a down year and Booker’s struggles, he still averaged over 25 points per game with seven assists in 75 games.

At this stage, Booker is still a highly regarded player in this league and is seen as a difference maker among most NBA front offices. The biggest factor here for the Rockets looks to be age and money. Booker is five years older than Green and set to make almost $20 million more next season. So, it feels like Houston wants to contend but isn’t necessarily ready to spend that type of money to get it done. Sometimes you’ve got to take a big leap to get over that hump.