Paul Pierce the latest to suggest Rockets’ Alperen Sengun trade amid Jalen Green’s heater

Said Pierce, “Man, the Rockets are on a ten-game winning streak. Right on Golden State’s ass. What do y’all think about that? They’ve been rolling without Sengun. 10-game winning streak. And I know he is a productive player, but I’m like, shoot, you could flip him for another veteran that can get y’all some valuable experience next year.”

Pierce isn’t the first person to float the idea of Houston trading Sengun. Last week, Bill Simmons floated that the Rockets should engage in trade talks around their center:

“There’s a Sengun piece to this, where Sengun you would’ve said, hands down, is the best asset on this team, he’s discount Jokic. Love this guy, but then the team kind of falls into place as soon as he goes away in some ways…Do you think we should make Jabari a 5? Do you think we should shop Sengun this summer? I think we would at least say yes, well let’s at least talk this out. Let’s do the pros and cons of this whole thing because, maybe this is the team you should be. You have so many athletes, so many scorers, maybe you need space, like maybe you just need space and athleticism, and maybe that Sengun guy is weighing you down a little bit. I’d just want to have the convo.”

Should the Rockets consider it?

Why are people advocating for this? The Rockets are playing small and they’re making shots. A shift to quicker play while emphasizing space creation results in more scoring variety, a challenge Houston had yet to master. The once-perfect tandem between Sengun and Fred VanVleet became increasingly more predictable because of how much head coach Ime Udoka relied on it.

Most of Udoka’s plays involved Sengun in the high pick-and-roll in attempt to give VanVleet space to shoot a fading three, or have Sengun placed inside the paint on the low block. This prevented other scorers from getting into rhythm, such as Jalen Green. Now with Sengun out, Houston has more ways to score.

Alperen Sengun back for the Rockets this season?

Per comments by Tim MacMahon on The Hoop Collective podcast, Sengun could be back before the end of the regular season.

“It’s within the realm of possibility that Sengun could return during the regular season. He avoided a major injury, but it’s a significant sprain. We kind of assumed he’d be done for the season because they wouldn’t have anything to place for. I was told there’s a very real chance that it could come down to, late in the regular season, ‘Hey, does it make sense to bring him back?’ Obviously, the number one thing is going to be, ‘Is he cleared, medically?’ … They’re not going to bring him back if they’re not playing for something, but they’re putting themselves in a position to be playing for something.”

Alperen Sengun has been having a phenomenal season, averaging 21.1 points per game, 9.3 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game, and had a career-high 45 points along 15 rebounds and 5 steals in a win against the San Antonio Spurs.