Despite being traded by the Houston Rockets after four seasons with the team, Jalen Green insists there are no hard feelings with the city.
After catching up with Green at the NBA’s 2025 summer league in Las Vegas, Houston Chronicle beat writer Danielle Lerner reports:
While in Las Vegas, Green said he planned to meet up with some former Rockets teammates including Jabari Smith Jr. And just as he emphasized in his heartfelt farewell post on Instagram, Green wanted to stress that there’s no bad blood between him and the city he once called home.
“I love H-Town,” Green said. “It’ll always be love in Houston.”
Green was watching his new team, the Phoenix Suns, in Friday night’s game. While there, he told Lerner that the trade package for Kevin Durant — a perennial NBA All-Star and future Hall of Famer — wasn’t a surprise.
“Yeah, I had a feeling. They’ve been trying to trade me since last year,” Green told the Houston Chronicle. “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.”
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Green’s interview with Lerner represented his first public comments since the deal, which was agreed to on June 22. He was notified by Rockets general manager Rafael Stone that morning.
The initial Durant agreement included Green, Dillon Brooks, the No. 10 overall draft pick in the 2025 first round, and five future second-round selections. Before the deal was finalized, it was expanded to also include the Atlanta Hawks and a sign-and-trade for veteran center Clint Capela.
More: Rockets officially announce trade acquisitions of Kevin Durant, Clint Capela
This article originally appeared on Rockets Wire: ‘It’ll always be love’: Jalen Green reacts to trade from Rockets