“There’s not a max contract on the table right now,” ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on the Houston Rockets’ ongoing contract negotiations with center Alperen Şengün.

Charania continued, stating that the 22-year-old Turkish center may need to test free agency to find a max contract.

Charania had previously reported that the team was scouring the market, looking to add depth at the center position ahead of this season. With injuries to Jarred Vanderbilt and Christian Wood leaving little in the way of quality backup to Anthony Davis, who has been vocal about his desire not to play center as much, it made sense that the team would be looking.

Enter Şengün, a perfect candidate for that team. He is young, and developing, and has consistently improved throughout his three seasons in the league. He can sit behind Davis and come off the bench or he can potentially start, freeing Davis up to play power forward.

There are two potential hangups with the scenario, the first being new head coach JJ Redick and what will almost certainly be a desire to play three-point ball. Şengün saw a significant drop-off in his three-point shooting percentage in 2023-24, falling from 33.3 a season earlier to 29.7.

The other would be just how much a max contract matters to him.

A center on a rookie deal has not gotten a max contract since Bam Adebayo in 2020 and according to Bobby Marks of ESPN, that is unlikely to change. “An extension would start at $34.5 million and stay flat over the next three seasons.” It would take some reshuffling of the roster, but that is a much more doable contract long-term for Los Angeles than the alternative.

If Şengün is willing to take that type of deal, the potential that he could be traded to Los Angeles and stay there, long-term amid continued improvement in his play, is a possibility.

Either way, if Houston is even thinking of letting the young center explore free agency this offseason, it should consider seeing if a team like Los Angeles, which has been very vocal about its need at the position, is willing to make a mutually beneficial trade and provide the Rockets with pieces that can help both now and in the future.