Shocking Jalen Green quotes prove what most Rockets fans already knew

The writing has been on the wall for some time between the Houston Rockets and Jalen Green, and Green was reading it. He recently told the Houston Chronicle that he was expecting the team to trade him.

“Yeah, I had a feeling. They’ve been trying to trade me since last year.”

-Jalen Green

This is interesting. Green has been in trade rumors for some time, but his most ardent supporters were quick to dismiss the rumors as baseless. Now, there's proof. The Rockets had been trying to trade Green.

Why?

Rockets make major upgrade from Green

It's best not to beat a dead horse, so let's keep this brief:

Green has not been great.

He has ample time to improve. Green should not be written off. His trajectory is bleak, but one trajectory does not fit all. Green has the tools. It's now a matter of figuring out how to use them.

The Rockets didn't have time to wait for him to do that. They're ready to win now. So, acquiring Kevin Durant at the cost of Green, Dillon Brooks, and the No. 10 pick was a no-brainer.

Even Green knows that.

Rockets' former guard acknowledges shortcomings

Green has always boasted gaudy statistics. He's always been capable of heating up for explosive scoring outbursts. The issue has been his inability to impact winning. There are simply too many on/off stats indicating that the Rockets have performed better with him on the bench.

Give the kid this: He's self-aware. Green knows he needs to be better. He even said as much in the same interview with the Chronicle.

"It's for the better of the team."

-Jalen Green

Rockets fans argue about Green all the time. Even trading him hasn't changed the discourse. Green is still a frequent topic of discussion for Rockets fans.

It's understandable. Green was the first player the Rockets drafted in the post-Harden era. He was supposed to be the future face of the franchise. When the Rockets traded him, they broke the hearts of some fans.

As understandable as that is, it's time to love again.

The Rockets will be serious title contenders in 2025-26. Impressively, they put themselves in that position without sacrificing much of their future. The team has ample future assets, even if Green isn't one of them.

Who knows? He may prove his skeptics wrong in the Valley. It's fine for Rockets fans to root for him, but they'd do well to get over the fact that the Rockets traded him:

The writing has been on the wall for some time.