5 perfect landing spots for Jalen Green amid Houston Rockets trade rumors
Houston Rockets standout Jalen Green has begun to reportedly generate what ESPN's Zach Lowe has called - "a little bit" of trade buzz. Ahead of the February 8th trade deadline, it appears as though the Rockets are looking to both improve their standing in the West, and avoid a tight cap down the line. With plenty of young talent, moving Green is a bit of a gamble.
Despite that, if Green does, in fact, find his name in full-blown trade talks, there are a number of potential teams expected to be interested in the 21-year-old. Currently, in the midst of an impressive season that's seen him average 18.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game, Green's stock is quite high.
With that in mind, here are five perfect landing spots for the talented 21-year-old amid the Houston Rockets' latest trade rumors.
Five potential landing spots for Jalen Green ahead of the trade deadline
5. Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz have managed to pull themselves into play-in contention as of late. Heading into the All-Star break this month, the team is eager to keep the momentum rolling. Currently, however, they sit in 10th place in the Western Conference.
With the Rockets just half a game behind them in the standings, the two teams are likely to jockey for postseason position. Given Jalen Green's scoring abilities, the Jazz would certainly benefit from his services.
4. Atlanta Hawks
Out East, the Atlanta Hawks find themselves in a similar position to the Houston Rockets. Currently, the team sits in 10th place in the East, just one game ahead of the Brooklyn Nets. Ahead of the trade deadline, there has been plenty of trade talk surrounding the Atlanta franchise.
With Trae Young, Clint Capela, and Dejounte Murray all being mentioned as potential trade pieces, they could add offense in a talented young player with Green.
3. Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers are eager to make a big postseason push; however, the team is also notably dealing with an injury to Joel Embiid. Given that, they could look to bolster their roster in his absence.
With Jalen Green being a young player capable of erupting for big performances, his services could be just what the 76ers need. Currently, the team sits in fifth place in the east, a comfortable four games ahead of the sixth-place Pacers.
2. LA Lakers
The LA Lakers have repeatedly been mentioned as a team that is expected to be active before the deadline. While they started the season off hot, since then, their production has dropped considerably.
With the team showing in the past that they're capable of unpredictable moves, it will be interesting to see just how active they are at the deadline. Given Jalen Green's offensive abilities, and how young he is, he would almost certainly be a great fit for LA.
1. New York Knicks
The New York Knicks have continued to impress this season under Tom Thibodeau's leadership. Although they dealt with a key injury to Mitchell Robinson early on, and are now feeling the impact of Julius Randle's shoulder dislocation, they sit in third place in the East.
Given their current depth chart, adding Jalen Green to their roster would certainly set the team up for a big postseason push. Whether they're willing to meet the Rockets' asking price, of course, is another story.
With the NBA trade deadline rapidly approaching, teams that sit on the verge of postseason contention, like the Rockets, are expected to be active. Whether or not that means Jalen Green winds up on the trade block, only time will tell.
Although Adrian Wojnarowski has indicated that he expects this year's trade deadline to be more lackluster than years past, that could change. As we saw last year, once the first domino falls, others are quick to follow.