As a Rockets fan that believes Sengun is far and away our best player I am fine with waiting on the extension. There's no risk for wait. In 1 year from now Sengun will be our designated supermax player and the team shaped around him, our clear head honcho.
And that may be why Sengun might want the extension now. (Caveat: I have no knowledge of what he or his agent are thinking.) It gives him lifetime financial security in case of injury. Players aren't cars and will hold a grudge (consciously or subconsciously) if you put them in an uncomfortable economic position intentionally. Also, for most people, it'd be easier to play balls-out next year knowing you had a good contract. On the other hand, if you don't, you might resent it and play tentatively trying to avoid injury (consciously or subconsciously). It's not just a numbers game. Multiple humans are involved and humans are complex beings with sometimes contradictory motivating factors. Given everything--including team financials, team rep, Sengun's security, his attitude, his game stats, potential, and team performance--I think the safest thing to do is to give him the extension this summer.
You brought up Luka but don't want anyone to point out the pretty major difference in those stat lines? lol ok. Did you know Hakeem and I combined for 26,946 points in the NBA? I don't like to brag too much but it's a statistical fact.
You would be a poor negotiator. The point isn't to draw a line in the sand until you get what you want - you want to show Sengun and his agent how this benefits them as well as the team....and it shouldn't be too hard of a sale here considering there have been plenty of other budding stars who have been in the exact same boat as Sengun and have similarly had to wait until after FA moves have occurred to finalize the details of an extension. ....and let's be clear - the subtext here is the CBA is slanted in such a way that it's also in the player's best long term interest to stick with the team who drafts them - that's why so few players burn bridges with their teams if they dont get the max immediately because even if you choose to go that route, it just puts you in a position where you become a RFA and now you have little choice of who tries to sign you AND you have no control of how that contract is structured provided the matching team(the Rockets in this case), match the overall offer amount.
Statistically speaking, which is undeniably factual, Sengun and I combined to average 21/9/5. So I guess you could say we are.
