Refusing to retire at the age of 38! The Rockets forward may sign basic salary and retreat to the second line next season, and the Rockets will benefit at the same time

In this league, many veterans retire or leave the league every year, and many young players continue to join the league and become fresh blood, promoting the league to develop healthily. Metabolism is a normal thing.

And this season, there are many veterans and more young players in the Rockets. They are also one of the teams with the strongest ability to combine new and old in the league. Before, Silas led too many young players on the Rockets, and there were too few veterans, especially those who became famous and experienced, so that the young players had no backbone on the court, and no one led them, fighting each other like headless flies. Although he can occasionally defeat strong enemies, the Rockets' overall record is unsatisfactory, which is the main reason why the Rockets have not entered the playoffs for many years.

Two years ago, the Rockets signed some veterans, such as Dillon Brooks, Van Vreet, Jeff Green, etc., and the overall strength of the Rockets instantly improved. This season, the Rockets ranked second in the Western Conference, which is not unrelated to the performance of veterans.

Now, the Rockets' 38-year-old forward Jeff Green, his contract has expired. This summer, he can choose to play in other teams, or continue to play with the Rockets, or choose to say goodbye to the league and retire directly. After all, there are very few 40-year-old "living fossils" like Paul and James in the league. 38-year-old Jeff Green's competitive state this season is not as good as before. Although he can occasionally perform well, he is too old and his physical fitness and personal condition have declined seriously. In the regular season, Jeff Green only played 32 games, averaging 12.3 minutes per game, contributing 5.4 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.6 assists.

Now his contract has expired, but he does not intend to retire. In an interview, he directly stated that he planned to play for the Rockets for another two years, and wait until he is 40 years old and wait until he has played in the league for 20 years before choosing to retire. So, in the next two years, Jeff Green is very likely to continue to stay with the Rockets.

The Rockets intend to give Jeff Green a veteran salary and continue to keep him. So, Jeff Green's place to go next season will be clearer. He will not join any team, and he will also reach a contract renewal with the Rockets, but his annual salary has changed from $8 million to his current basic salary.

For Jeff Green, this is also helpless. After all, next season, the Rockets will be more new players who will reuse the front line. Jeff Green will officially retreat to the second line. It is estimated that he may not be able to play even 20 games next season. But for the Rockets, Jeff Green is still important. He can free up salary space for the Rockets, after all, he is willing to cut his salary and accept the basic salary.

In addition, Jeff Green can also coach young players on the bench, and he can almost be regarded as half a coach on the training ground and off the court. In addition, if the Rockets encounter a large number of serious injuries, Jeff Green is not unable to play. Just like this season, when Amen Thompson and Jabbarry Smith Jr. were both absent, Jeff Green even served as the starting power forward of the Rockets, which is reliable at critical moments, which is also a characteristic of Jeff Green.

Therefore, signing Jeff Green at a basic salary is a three-killing victory for manager Stone: it not only frees up salary space, but also strengthens the Rockets' third lineup, and increases the Rockets' experience. So, it is still necessary for Jeff Green to stay.