The Houston Rockets are reportedly unlikely to offer guard Jalen Green or center Alperen Şengün max contract extensions before the start of the 2024-25 season.

Kelly Iko of The Athletic reported the Rockets plan to continue discussing deals with the budding young stars but are hesitant to offer them max extensions. Green and Şengün will hit restricted free agency next summer if they do not have an agreement in place before the start of next season.

Houston has built a promising young core, but it's soon set to become an expensive one. Green and Şengün are eligible for contract extensions this summer, and Jabari Smith Jr. will be eligible next.

Houston has a clean long-term cap sheet—Dillon Brooks is the only veteran with a contract guaranteed for the 2025-26 season—but the front office faces a difficult decision on how much to spend to retain its young talent. Green, Şengün and Smith have all shown levels of promise early in their NBA careers, but none have developed into surefire superstars.

Şengün has established himself as the cream of the crop after a breakout 2023-24 saw him average 21.1 points, 9.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists at age 21. The big man has all the hallmarks of an offensive force for years to come; he's already a store-brand Nikola Jokić and should make All-Star teams in the future.

It's frankly a bit of a surprise that Şengün isn't already locked up to a long-term deal.

Green's ceiling is undeniable, but we're three years into his NBA career without him showing any marked improvement. His excellent rookie season has been followed by two seasons where he's plateaued in every major category, and the NBA has plenty of inconsistent volume scorers on contracts much cheaper than the max.

Waiting to offer Green an extension is the prudent move, and one could argue the Rockets should explore trading him now while teams still believe in his potential.