Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

Suns’ Jalen Green Gets Honest About Trade From Rockets

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | Last updated Jul 12, 2025 7:42 PM ET

Since making the NBA Finals in 2021, the Phoenix Suns have watched the core of their roster deteriorate.

Sure, they've still got Devin Booker at the helm, but the franchise superstar will now spend his prime years in the NBA playing for a team in the middle of a retool.

After trading Kevin Durant -- bringing Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks to The Valley -- the Suns now need to figure out the future of Bradley Beal, who has two years remaining on his deal, which includes a steep salary and no-trade clause.

While the team isn't a contender anymore, and not particularly close to being one, they've got a playoff-caliber roster.

Pairing Green with Booker in the backcourt brings clear offensive prowess, though their ability to play competitive basketball is in question with a lack of defensive ability. Adding Brooks and both Mark Williams and Khaman Maluach could help on the defensive side of the ball, though.

Durant joins a competitive Houston Rockets squad now, where he'll aim to play a better brand of basketball than Phoenix saw in the last two seasons. Green saw the trade from the Rockets coming, too, as he recently revealed during Summer League.

“Yeah, I had a feeling. They’ve been trying to trade me since last year. I’m not tripping. It’s for the better of the team. I know it’s a business at the end of the day. I really can’t handle how I feel. Whatever happens, happens. At the end of the day, I still got the opportunity to play basketball," Green explained, according to the Houston Chronicle.

Whether or not Green takes a leap as a basketball player or not could determine the ceiling of the Suns for years to come. He now gets a much bigger opportunity to explore his star potential.

The Rockets have a strong, rounded squad, and Green's opportunity was waning prior to the trade.

The Suns have the ability to gamble and let a player like Green explore his potential, while potentially getting a star player out of the trade with the Rockets.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: