Rockets Have Big Decision to Make on Alperen Sengun This Offseason

Alperen Sengun has been one of the best draft selections made by Houston Rockets General Manager Rafael Stone, dating back to Stone’s hire in 2020. Sengun is the only player among Stone’s ten total draft selections to have made an All-Star team.

And Sengun has pulled off the feat twice. Granted, several of those nine players are no longer with the Rockets (or even in the NBA, for that matter), as TyTy Washington, Usman Garuba and Josh Christopher were shipped out when Ime Udoka was hired as the Rockets' head coach.

Ditto for KJ Martin and Jalen Green, although the latter was moved much later on. The draft is a crap shoot, in any sport. Those things happen to every team. There's no way to predict how a player will pan out in the professional ranks.

Sengun has developed well for the Rockets, so much that he became Houston's offensive engine in the halfcourt and led the team in assists, which isn't exactly a common thing for a center.

And he's had highlight worthy performances since becoming a starter, including a monster game against San Antonio Spurs super center Victor Wembanyama, in which Sengun had 45 points, 16 rebounds, three assists and five steals.

Sengun also posted a 33-point triple-double against Denver Nuggets MVP center Nikola Jokic this season. We also saw him drop 39 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists on opening night against the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder. The list goes on.

However, there have also been a good amount of lows mixed in, as Sengun has struggled with consistency. Players go through highs and lows. Especially young players (Sengun is stil just 23 years old).

For a Rockets team that is relatively top-heavy, Sengun’s battles with inconsistency stick out, in a major way. And for a team that just traded for Kevin Durant, they could be tempted to move Sengun for a more consistent player with a higher arc.

In essence, Sengun could very well be the Rockets' most expendable star-level player. Especially depending on who he can fetch the Rockets, in return.

For his part, Sengun has handled trade rumors and speculation well, taking it all in stride.

“I cannot do anything about those conversations. It is what it is. Wherever I go or… if I stay here, I’m just going to stay with it. I’m going to do what I’m doing. Same goals. Same everything."

Sengun largely struggled in Houston's opening round postseason series against the Los Angeles Lakers, averaging 20.3 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.7 assists, on 47 percent effective shooting and 51.9 percent true shooting, despite being matched up against Deandre Ayton and Jaxson Hayes -- neither of which are viewed as defensive stalwarts.

The Rockets will have an interesting decision to make this summer, as it pertains to Sengun. He still holds immense potential, which certainly boosts his trade value, and his contract provides $35.6 million in salary ballast, which is also an important factor.

The Rockets will certainly want to maximize the window of their union with Durant, which will be short. Moving Sengun for a more established superstar is the type of win-now move that will certainly be tempting for Houston's brain t

Add us as a preferred source on Google