Jeff Green says he will sign with Rockets for rest of season

With his 10-day deal set to expire later this week, Jeff Green will sign a standard rest-of-season contract with the Rockets.

After initially signing veteran big man Jeff Green to a 10-day contract last week, the Houston Rockets appear poised to extend his deal for the remainder of the 2019-20 season.

Speaking pregame before Wednesday’s home matchup versus the Grizzlies, Green confirmed that an agreement had been reached to sign a standard contract. The Memphis game was the last Green would have been eligible to play in, as per the terms of his original 10-day deal.

In the conversation with Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston:

Green: I’m going to sign. It means a lot. I’m looking forward the opportunity, and I’m going to do my part and try to help any way I can.

Berman: Was it a tough decision, deciding to stay here, or was it pretty easy?

Green: Pretty easy.

Now with his ninth NBA team, Green was picked No. 5 overall in the 2007 NBA Draft by the Seattle SuperSonics — who later became the Oklahoma City Thunder. Since then, he’s averaged 13.0 points (44.0% shooting, 33.4% on 3-pointers) and 4.4 rebounds in 29.6 minutes per game.

In three recent outings as Houston’s backup center behind P.J. Tucker, Green has tallied 9.3 points and 3.0 rebounds in 18.0 minutes per game, and he’s shooting 83.3% from the field and 71.4% on 3-pointers.

The Rockets (37-20) have won each of those contests by double digits, with Green as a consistent part of the rotation in each game.

Moving forward, those lofty percentages won’t be sustainable as the sample size grows. But the versatile big man with scoring prowess does seem to be an ideal fit with Houston’s new small-ball approach, having quickly earned respect and praise from his teammates and coaches.

Speaking Monday prior to Green’s home debut at Toyota Center, head coach Mike D’Antoni said this about the 6-foot-8 NBA veteran:

I think Jeff is going to be real good. The length, the athleticism, he knows how to play. He’s going to fill a nice role.

After Green’s first game with the Rockets last Thursday, All-Star guard and current NBA scoring leader James Harden said:

True professional. Always ready. His name was called and he was ready to go. Obviously, he made some big shots, but defensively he just fit with what we were doing.

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Though the 13-year NBA veteran has spent most of his career as a forward, Green indicated Monday that he has no concerns about his new role as a center for D’Antoni and the smaller Rockets. His outlook:

It’s not a challenge. It’s just basketball. It’s something I’ve done most of my career. I’ve done it from my rookie year to now, playing multiple positions. At the end of the day, it’s about playing with confidence, playing with heart.

With the early returns promising, it quickly became a no-brainer for D’Antoni and GM Daryl Morey to keep the 33-year-old around for the rest of the season. From Green’s perspective, Houston’s emphasis on versatility and 3-point shooting appears to be an ideal fit for him, too.

Green and the Rockets return to action with a Saturday night visit to Boston. Tip-off from TD Garden is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Central, with the game televised on a national ABC broadcast.

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