Alperen Sengun Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Southwest Notes: Zion, Sengun, Lively, Popovich

November 5th, 2024 at 8:10am CST by Luke Adams

Pelicans forward Zion Williamson didn’t show any signs of suffering an injury in Friday’s win over Indiana, in which he scored a season-high 34 points. However, he was added to the team’s injury report on Sunday due to right hamstring tightness and has now missed two consecutive games, both Pelicans losses, as Christian Clark of NOLA.com details.

“I don’t know exactly how it occurred,” head coach Willie Green said of Williamson’s injury, which was listed on Monday as right thigh soreness. “He showed up. Said he felt a little something. We wanted to make sure we got a look at it.”

Already missing Dejounte Murray, CJ McCollum, Herbert Jones, and Trey Murphy due to longer-term injuries, the Pelicans have had to elevate little-used reserves to the rotation, with Brandon Boston, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, rookie Yves Missi, and newly signed Jaylen Nowell among those playing big minutes this week. The shorthanded team has dropped back-to-back games at home, losing to Atlanta by 15 points on Sunday and to Portland by 18 points on Monday.

While New Orleans badly needs a healthy Williamson back on the court to help end its skid, Green admitted on Monday that he’s not sure what the timeline is for his star forward’s return.

“He was not at the game,” Green told reporters. “Doctor’s orders. Because of the hamstring and quad. We kept him at home tonight.”

Here’s more from around the Southwest:

After signing a five-year, $185MM rookie scale extension the day before the regular season began, Rockets center Alperen Sengun got off to a slow start this fall, making just 38.6% of his field goal attempts through six games. Prior to Monday’s contest, he made it clear he wasn’t stressing about his low shooting percentage, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle (subscription required). “I’m not worried about it. Those shots are easy shots for me,” Sengun said. “They’re shots I used to make all three years. So I think it’s just going to come back and I’m going to make those.” The big man delivered on that promise by scoring 25 points on 11-of-15 shooting in a win over New York on Monday. He also contributed 14 rebounds, five assists, and four blocks in what was his best game of the season so far.
Mavericks center Dereck Lively II, who missed Monday’s loss to Indiana due to a right shoulder sprain, will undergo an MRI on that shoulder, head coach Jason Kidd told reporters. However, sources have expressed optimism that Lively’s injury isn’t significant, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link).
Ahead of his second game as the Spurs‘ acting head coach, Mitch Johnson said on Monday that he’s “not at liberty” to discuss Gregg Popovich‘s possible return timeline, but downplayed the seriousness of Popovich’s health issue. “Right now his health is the No. 1 priority,” Johnson said, per Michael C. Wright of ESPN. “We support him in that 100 percent and I talked to him last night. He’s in good spirits. He’s OK, and we can’t wait to have him back.”

Rockets Notes: Adams, Sengun, Green, VanVleet

October 30th, 2024 at 7:31pm CST by Arthur Hill

Twenty-one months after suffering a PCL sprain in his right knee that required surgery, Steven Adams was back on the court Monday night making his debut with the Rockets, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle.

Adams, who sat out all of last season due to concerns about the stability of the knee, was traded in February from Memphis to Houston. He missed the first three games of this season because of a calf strain, along with the medical staff’s emphasis on protecting the knee, so he was relieved to be playing again.

“It was just good to be back. It’s been a long journey,” he said. “There’s still a lot of work to do, but it’s just fun to be out there with the boys, especially on a new team. Getting traded mid-injury, mid-rehab, it’s just good to actually play with the team, it just hits a bit differently when you speak to your team when you’re playing.”

Feigen notes that even though Adams only played 14 minutes, he totaled 16 screen assist points to take the league lead in that category. That’s one of the ways that the veteran center can contribute to the team, even though his playing time will be restricted for a while. He’s currently limited to five-minute stints and a maximum of 15 minutes per game.

“Typically with surgeries that’s why they call it a two-year process, because physically you’ll heal in the first year. The second year is the mental part, getting the connection back,” Adams said. “So it’s just that mental part now, but then also the mental part of the game: flow, timing, reading the body language, stuff like that.”

There’s more from Houston:

Alperen Sengun doesn’t mind the increased expectations that come along with a new contract, Feigen states in a separate story. Sengun agreed to a five-year, $185MM extension shortly before the deadline on October 21. “That’s a good pressure,” he said. “That’s a pressure the stars can take it, you know. That’s what I’m going to go through the rest of my life. I’m one of the best players in the league. I have to get used to it. I have to take that pressure all the time. It doesn’t make me uncomfortable. It makes me feel great.”
Coach Ime Udoka singled out Jalen Green‘s decision making after he scored 36 points in Monday’s win at San Antonio, Feigen adds in another piece. Green only had two assists, but Udoka said he did a great job of reading the defense. “He’s been phenomenal all year as far as that,” Udoka said. “I think he really grew toward the end of last year. Now it looks like he’s getting whatever he wants, whether it’s for himself or others. Some of those that he used to miss at times and kind of rush into a crowd, over-penetrate, he’s (now) making the right reads.”
Fred VanVleet had a verbal confrontation with Jeremy Sochan after the game (Twitter video link). VanVleet refused to comment on the exchange, per Ben DuBose of Rockets Wire, but it appears to have been prompted by a derogatory comment Sochan made about Houston when asked about the rivalry between the two teams.

Rockets Notes: Green, Sengun, Thompson, Sheppard, Adams

October 25th, 2024 at 11:46am CST by Arthur Hill

The Rockets‘ decision to give contract extensions to Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun was made after two of their future targets in free agency came off the market this summer, Brian Windhorst of ESPN states in an article co-written with Tim Bontemps. When the Cavaliers‘ Donovan Mitchell and the Celtics‘ Derrick White both reached extensions with their teams, Houston’s front office began to abandon its plan to save cap room for the 2025 free agency sweepstakes, sources tell Windhorst.

The new priority became working out extensions with Green and Sengun before Monday’s deadline, and both agreed to unique deals that are below the maximum they could have received. Green’s three-year extension starts at $33.3MM next season, and Windhorst hears that it could be combined with draft assets as the basis for a superstar trade next summer.

Sources also tell Windhorst that the Rockets have informed rival teams they don’t plan to make a major deal during the season, but they could be much more active once the offseason arrives.

Other executives around the league complimented the Rockets for convincing Sengun to accept a below-max deal, according to Bontemps, even though they had to give him a player option in the fifth year.

There’s more from Houston;

Coach Ime Udoka’s preference to play at a faster pace may require more minutes for Amen Thompson, observes Kelly Iko of The Athletic. The lack of fast-break opportunities was among the things that bothered Udoka about Wednesday’s season-opening loss to Charlotte. “We didn’t get stops,” he said. “We didn’t get out and run. Just as poorly as we played in transition, offensive rebounding was the same thing. Nineteen in the first half and only two second-chance points in the second. Dominated us on the glass there.” Iko points out that Thompson was part of five of the team’s six fastest two-man combinations last season.
Lottery pick Reed Sheppard is quickly adapting to life in the NBA, per Brian Barefield of Rockets Wire. Sheppard has a clearly defined role on a team that needs to improve its outside shooting. “It is easy when everyone knows how to play basketball the right way,” he said. “We have been playing with each other for a couple of months now, so being able to get in the gym every day and continue to get to know each other by learning more offense and defense with each other. We are just figuring out how each other plays, and it has been really fun. I feel like our chemistry gets better every day.”
Steven Adams was a game-time decision on Wednesday, but he has already been ruled out of Friday’s contest against Memphis due to a calf strain and recovery from the knee injury that forced him to miss all of last season, tweets Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle.

Contract Details: Gordon, Moody, Suggs, Green, Sengun, Murphy, More

October 23rd, 2024 at 7:07am CST by Luke Adams

The three-year veteran extension that Aaron Gordon signed with the Nuggets is worth $103,608,840 in total base salary, Hoops Rumors has confirmed. As expected, Gordon is getting the maximum 40% raise on his 2025/26 salary ($22,841,455), with 8% annual raises after that.

Gordon’s is also getting the maximum 40% bump (and 8% subsequent increases) on his $1.2MM in incentives for the ’25/26 season, so they’ll increase to $1.68MM in the first year of the extension and will be worth $5,443,200 in total across the three years of the deal. That means that if the Nuggets forward earns all his bonuses, he could make up to $109,052,040 over those three seasons.

The trade kicker on Gordon’s extension is for just 3%, which represents the lowest percentage of any active trade kicker around the NBA.

Here are more details on some of the contracts recently signed by players across the league:

Moses Moody‘s three-year extension with the Warriors actually has a total base value of $37.5MM, rather than the $39MM initially reported. The deal includes $1.5MM in incentives that could push the total value up to $39MM.
Jalen Suggs‘ five-year, $150MM extension with the Magic starts at $35MM in 2025/26 and has a descending structure. By the fifth year, in 2029/30, Suggs’ cap hit will be just $26.7MM.
The exact value of Jalen Green‘s three-year extension with the Rockets is $105,333,333. It starts at $33,333,333, with matching $36MM cap hits in years two and three (the third year is a player option).
Alperen Sengun‘s five-year, $185MM extension with the Rockets has an ascending structure, though it doesn’t increase by the maximum allowable 8% per year. It begins at $33,944,954 in 2025/26 and eventually gets as high as $39,036,697 in years four and five. The fifth year is a player option.
Trey Murphy‘s four-year, $112MM extension with the Pelicans begins at $25MM and increases by $2MM annually, getting up to $31MM by year four.
The new standard contract Alex Reese signed with the Thunder is a straightforward one-year, minimum-salary deal that is fully non-guaranteed. I’d be a little surprised if Reese lasts the whole season on that contract, but if he does, he’d be eligible for restricted free agency in the summer of 2025.
Alondes Williams‘ two-way contract with the Pistons is for two years. While it’s pretty rare for a player to play out a full two-year, two-way contract, Detroit could technically keep Williams on his current deal all the way through the end of the 2025/26 season.

Rockets, Alperen Sengun Finalize Five-Year Extension

October 21st, 2024 at 5:35pm CST by Luke Adams

5:35pm: Sengun has officially signed his new contract with the Rockets, per NBA.com’s transaction log.

4:49pm: The Rockets and big man Alperen Sengun have reached an agreement on a five-year rookie scale extension, agents Sean Kennedy and Jeff Schwartz tell Bobby Marks of ESPN (Twitter link). The deal is worth $185MM, with a fifth-year player option, according to Marks.

Sengun, 22, is coming off a breakout season that saw him finish third in Most Improved Player voting. He set new career highs in points (21.1), rebounds (9.3), assists (5.0), and steals (1.2) per game while making 53.7% of his field goal attempts in 63 starts (32.5 MPG) before ankle and knee injuries prematurely ended his season.

Despite Sengun’s star turn, there was uncertainty entering the fall about whether or not he and the Rockets would work out a rookie scale extension, since Houston wasn’t expected to offer him a maximum-salary deal at this time and was in position to maximize its 2025 cap room by postponing a new deal for Sengun. If he had entered next offseason as a restricted free agent, Sengun would have had a cap hold of just $16.3MM.

However, Sengun said on media day that he was interested in signing an extension before the 2024/25 season tipped off and Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle reported at the time that there was a “legitimate chance” the two sides would reach a deal.

Having agreed to terms with both Sengun and Jalen Green, who signed a three-year, $105.3MM extension, the Rockets now appear poised to operate over the cap next summer rather than under it.

They also have two of their cornerstone players locked up for multiple seasons beyond 2024/25. In addition to Sengun and Green, Rockets youngsters Amen Thompson, Cam Whitmore, and Reed Sheppard are also under contract through at least 2027.

Sengun is one of seven players to complete a rookie scale extension in the past 24 hours, joining Jalen Johnson, Jalen Suggs, Trey Murphy, Corey Kispert, Moses Moody, and his teammate Green.

Kuminga, Suggs, Giddey Among Extension Candidates Seeking $30MM+ Annually

October 19th, 2024 at 10:43am CST by Tristan Tucker

The deadline for teams to sign players to rookie scale contract extensions falls on Monday and will force several clubs to make tough decisions.

The Warriors have two players under consideration for rookie scale extensions: Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody. As we relayed Friday evening, Moody appears more likely than Kuminga to receive an extension by Monday. Moody is in line to receive minutes at the wing spot in the wake up Klay Thompson‘s departure, and NBA insider Jake Fischer reports he could earn more than $10MM per season on his extension (Threads link).

However, Kuminga is seeking a near-max contract that would pay him north of $30MM annually. According to Fischer, the Warriors have “never seemed intent” on paying the forward that kind of money ahead of the season. That tracks with earlier reporting, which suggested that both sides are content to wait to see if Kuminga takes another step forward in 2024/25 and helps propel the team back into contention as its second- or third-best player. In that scenario, he would presumably be rewarded in restricted free agency next offseason.

Moody averaged 8.1 points and 3.0 rebounds per game last season while Kuminga broke out, averaging 16.1 PPG on 52.9% shooting from the field.

We have more on this year’s rookie scale extension candidates:

According to Fischer, Atlanta’s Jalen Johnson is facing a similar situation to Kuminga. However, there’s “far more optimism” that the Hawks and Johnson will finalize a deal worth north of $30MM each year, which is said to be the starting point for negotiations with the former Duke standout. Johnson broke out in a big way last season, jumping from 5.6 PPG and 4.0 RPG in 2022/23 to 16.0 PPG and 8.7 RPG. He’s primed to be a long-term fixture in Atlanta as one of the Hawks’ franchise cornerstones.
Magic guard Jalen Suggs is seeking an extension worth more than $30MM annually in talks with Orlando, NBA insider Marc Stein reports (Twitter link). It’s unclear whether or not Orlando is prepared to make that sort of offer, but Suggs emerged as one of the best defensive guards in the league last season, earning a spot on the All-Defensive Second Team, averaging 12.6 PPG and 1.4 SPG, improving his outside shooting to 39.7%, and helping the young Magic to a 47-win season.
Immanuel Quickley‘s five-year, $162.5MM contract with the Raptors is said to have set a benchmark for young guards across the league, Fischer says, confirming previous reporting. Bulls guard/forward Josh Giddey is also seeking at least $30MM per year on his next extension. However, the Bulls are more interested in seeing how Giddey fits with the team before committing that kind of money to him. Chicago traded Alex Caruso for Giddey in June.
The Rockets haven’t been willing to this point to approach a maximum-salary deal for either Jalen Green or Alperen Sengun, according to Fischer. We relayed Friday that the Rockets have held productive conversations with both players, submitting offers to each, but that those offers were below the max. Fischer indicates that Houston is completely fine with not agreeing to terms with either before the year begins.
Clippers guard Bones Hyland and Nets young players Cam Thomas and Day’Ron Sharpe are not expected to agree to terms on a rookie scale extension, according to Fischer. However, there remains some optimism that Hornets guard Tre Mann, Pacers forward Isaiah Jackson and Wizards wing Corey Kispert will be able to sign extensions by Monday’s deadline.
Quentin Grimes has emerged as a real candidate to receive an extension by Monday, according to Stein (Twitter link). Grimes was acquired by the Mavericks in exchange for Tim Hardaway Jr. this offseason and he’s averaged 8.5 PPG across three NBA seasons. His deal would presumably be in the ballpark of Moody’s, perhaps a bit more than $10MM per year.

Extension Rumors: Durant, Kuminga, Moody, Sengun, Green, Gordon

October 18th, 2024 at 6:02pm CST by Luke Adams

Suns forward Kevin Durant won’t sign a contract extension before the regular season begins, Shams Charania said during an appearance on Friday’s episode of NBA Today on ESPN (YouTube link).

As we outlined on Thursday, Durant – who has two years left on his current maximum-salary deal – is eligible until October 21 to sign a one-year extension worth up to $59.5MM. If he doesn’t sign that extension by Monday, his next opportunity to extend his contract will come during the 2025 offseason.

Durant downplayed the likelihood of completing a deal this fall, but has expressed “publicly and privately how much he loves Phoenix,” according to Charania, who suggests that both the former MVP and the team are focused on getting something done next offseason, when Durant could add two new years to his current contract for a total of $123.8MM.

The Over-38 rule prohibits Durant from signing any deal that would keep him under contract for four or more total years going forward.

Here are a few more of the latest updates on players who are eligible for contract extensions:

The Warriors and Jonathan Kuminga remain “far apart” in their extension negotiations, according to Charania, who said during that same NBA Today segment that there’s a sense Kuminga may enter the season without a new deal in place, putting him on track for restricted free agency in 2025. Charania adds that the Warriors forward is comfortable with the idea of betting on himself in 2024/25 and trying to earn a maximum-salary contract – or something close to it – next summer. Moses Moody appears “much more likely” than Kuminga to sign an extension with Golden State before Monday’s deadline, per Charania.
The Rockets have had “productive” conversations with both Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green and have made extension offers that would provide them with long-term financial security, according to Charania. However, Charania notes that those offers are below the max, so Sengun and Green will have to decide whether they’re willing to accept those deals or if they want to push for bigger paydays by opting for restricted free agency.
The Nuggets and forward Aaron Gordon are in “active conversations” about an extension, per Charania. Gordon is eligible to sign for up to $143.3MM on a four-year deal that would begin in 2025/26, though ESPN’s Brian Windhorst said on the Hoop Collective podcast (YouTube link) that Denver is hoping to get him to accept a little less than that. “They haven’t handed out that (max) offer,” Windhorst said (hat tip to RealGM). “Otherwise he would have signed it. From what I understand, they are negotiating and they’re hopeful of getting him at less than what would be his quote, unquote max.”
In an Insider-only story for ESPN.com, Bobby Marks examines some of this year’s top extension candidates and shares the offers he’d put on the table for several of them, including $148MM for Jalen Johnson, $128MM for Josh Giddey, and a whopping $165MM for Jalen Suggs (all five-year deals).

And-Ones: Top FAs, Under-The-Radar Players, Extensions, Carter-Williams

October 13th, 2024 at 8:33pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Kyrie Irving ranks as the potential top free agent next summer, according to Frank Urbina and Raul Barrigon of HoopsHype, though there’s no indication he wants to leave Dallas. Irving holds a player option for the 2025/26 season.

Rockets big man Alperen Sengun ranks as the No. 2 free agent, though he’ll be restricted if he doesn’t sign a rookie scale extension this month. At No. 3, Lakers forward LeBron James also has a ’25/26 player option, like Irving.

Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram comes in at No. 4 overall on HoopsHype’s top-25 list and is the top-ranked player who will be fully unrestricted, without the fallback of a player option — unless, of course, he signs a contract with New Orleans prior to free agency.

We have more from around the basketball world:

Which under-the-radar players might make a significant impact this season? The Athletic’s John Hollinger explores a dozen such candidates, including Gradey Dick, Precious Achiuwa and Xavier Tillman.
A number of big-name players could be in line for huge extensions prior to the Oct. 21 deadline for rookie-scale players and veterans with more than one year remaining on their contracts. Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus identifies Kevin Durant, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Jalen Suggs as a few of the players who could potentially agree to new deals this month.
Retired NBA guard Michael Carter-Williams has become a mental health advocate. The Boston Globe’s Gary Washburn details Carter-Williams’ personal struggles and his determination to help others get through their mental health issues.

Rockets Notes: VanVleet, Sheppard, Sengun, Trade Targets

October 12th, 2024 at 3:01pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Rockets hold a $44.9MM team option for next season on Fred VanVleet, but the veteran guard seems to be preparing for a long stay in Houston, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Feigen notes that VanVleet recently bought a house and moved his family to the city and now considers himself a “Houstonian.”

“I didn’t come here to be a rental,” he said. “I didn’t come here to be a free agent (again). I came here for a long-term home. I’ve loved my time here so far. I think I have a good understanding with management and the coaches about what the future looks like with this team. The business will always take care of itself. I don’t really get too concerned with that stuff. That stuff will work itself out. But I think my family and I will be in Texas. I came here for a home, and I think I found one.”

VanVleet spent his first seven NBA seasons in Toronto before the Rockets lured him away last summer with a three-year, $128.5MM offer. According to Feigen, it’s the largest deal ever signed by an undrafted player, which is a testament to how far VanVleet has come since his rookie season. The experience of having to build up a reputation from scratch helps him to identify with teammates who are in that position now.

“Every last one of them, I have a great relationship with all the guys,” VanVleet said. “There’s a lot more of us than there is … stars in the league. The rest of the guys are trying to figure it out. I can always relate to those guys. I always tell the story I was a side-hoop guy. I was the guy shooting on the side with no coaches. I was rebounding with myself. I always keep that in mind.”

There’s more from Houston:

Lottery pick Reed Sheppard is getting a crash course in point guard play during his first NBA training camp, Feigen adds in a separate story. After Friday’s practice ended, VanVleet assembled Sheppard, Jalen Green, Amen Thompson and big men Alperen Sengun and Steven Adams to work on pick-and-roll execution. When that was over, Sheppard and VanVleet did extra work alongside the team’s assistant coaches. “Oh, it’s been awesome,” Sheppard said. “You know, being out here every day, competing, learning from a lot of the guys, especially Fred. He’s been unbelievable to me, talking to me on and off the court. I mean, he’s just helping me with everything. Any questions I ask, he’s answering and giving details about them and just being there for me whenever. And all the all the guys are. It’s not just Fred. Everyone’s been extremely, extremely good and helpful.”
During his time with the Celtics, Ime Udoka had an elite floor-spacing big man in Al Horford, and he’s hoping Sengun can develop into that role, per Kelly Iko of The Athletic. Sengun only shot 29.7% from beyond the arc last season on 1.8 attempts per game, but Udoka believes he can improve. “He has the touch and the shot,” Udoka said. “It’s more of a mentality to look for those shots and not pass them up.”
The Rockets are hoping to eventually trade for a star whose timeline fits their young talent, rather than focusing on older players, ESPN’s Tim MacMahon said on the latest Hoop Collective podcast (hat tip to Ben DuBose of Rockets Wire).

Rockets Notes: Sengun, Adams, Green, Trades

October 9th, 2024 at 5:48pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Rockets centers Alperen Sengun and Steven Adams could join forces to serve as one of the NBA’s top center tandems in 2024/25, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Backup big man Jock Landale may also compete for minutes at the five, but as long as Sengun and Adams stay healthy, it seems likely that either the rising star or the longtime starter will be on the court most of the time.

“We’re pretty bloody solid,” Adams said. “The boys here are pretty good. That’s more on paper. We haven’t played a game. It doesn’t matter how it looks on paper. Whoever is the most connected is going to be the most deep team.”

As Feigen notes, the Rockets as a franchise have a long history of Hall of Fame big men to their credit. Feigen notes that Sengun was approaching possible All-Star status during his 2023/24 breakthrough season and has room to get better this year.

There’s more out of Houston:

Suiting up for his first game in almost seven months, Sengun displayed the kind of growth Houston insiders and fans have no doubt been hoping for, writes Feigen in a separate story. Sengun appears to have added catch-and-shoot triples to his arsenal. During the team’s 122-113 preseason defeat against the Jazz, he showed off a speed and activity level heretofore unseen in his play, Feigen observes.
Rockets shooting guard Jalen Green thrived last year after Sengun went down in March with an ankle injury. Feigen writes in another article for The Chronicle that Houston believes his late-season surge is sustainable over the long run. Green credits film sessions with Rockets coaches, which kicked off last December, for helping him realize how to hone his game best. “I think it will make it a lot easier to pick up where I left off,” Green said. “It’s more about what I have do: play defense, rebound. Like I’ve been saying, being able to contribute to the team besides just scoring.”
The Rockets boast plenty of young assets, future draft picks, and veterans on solid-but-movable contracts. Houston could be the league’s most intriguing trade team this season, opines Michael Pina of The Ringer. Pina notes that the Rockets could go in any number of directions — they may look to package some young pieces for a franchise-changing deal or could swap out some veterans for more youth and draft equity.