While the decisions won’t be formally announced until the end of the month, the Rockets plan to exercise their 2024-25 team options on Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith and Tari Eason, a person with knowledge of the situation tells Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle.
The news was expected, as all four players are considered core pieces for the Rockets. The decisions don’t impact any of the players this season, but will guarantee their contracts for 2024-25.
The No. 2 overall pick of the 2021 draft, Green will earn $12,483,048 in 2024-25. Sengun, who was the No. 16 pick of the same draft, will have a $5,424,654 salary in the fourth and final year of his rookie deal. Both players will now be eligible for rookie-scale extensions in 2024.
Smith was the No. 2 pick of last year’s draft. He will earn $9,770,880 in 2024-25, his third season, while Eason, the No. 17 pick in 2022, will make $3,695,160. Next October, the Rockets will have to decide whether or not to pick up Smith and Eason’s fourth-year options, though that also seems like a formality.
A 6-foot-4 guard, Green averaged 22.1 PPG, 3.7 RPG and 3.7 APG on .416/.338/.786 shooting last season. Sengun, a 6-foot-9 Turkish center, averaged 14.8 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 3.8 APG, 0.9 SPG and 0.9 BPG on .553/.333/.715 shooting in 2021-22. Both players are starters, as is Smith. Eason is one of Houston’s main bench players.
Smith, a 6-foot-10 forward, averaged 12.8 PPG, 7.2 RPG and 0.9 BPG on .408/.307/.786 shooting as rookie in 2021-22. Eason, another forward, averaged 9.3 PPG, 6.0 RPG and 1.2 SPG on .448/.343/.752 shooting last season.
The full list of decisions on 2024-25 rookie-scale team options can be found right here.
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