The Houston Rockets announced Monday that swingman Gerald Green underwent surgery to repair a broken bone in his left foot. The 33-year-old is expected to miss approximately six months as he performs rehabilitation, according to the team.
Green’s injury occurred during Houston’s preseason game in Japan against the Toronto Raptors on Oct. 10. Over the past two seasons, the native Houstonian had averaged 10.3 points (36.0% on three-pointers) in 21.1 minutes per game with the Rockets, mostly from a bench role.
On paper, the timeline of six months could make Green available for basketball activities by the 2019-20 postseason, which will begin midway through April 2020. However, since he would not have played or practiced with the team at all during the 82-game regular season, it would probably be a stretch to expect Green to contribute as a player during the 2019-20 league year.
As such, ESPN‘s Tim MacMahon reported Monday night that Green is “highly doubtful” to return this season, even if the Rockets make a deep playoff run into May and June.
Earlier this month, The Athletic‘s Shams Charania reported that the Rockets were looking to acquire a wing player from outside the organization to help replace Green’s expected contributions. As of Monday, no such deal had taken place.
After re-signing in July, Green is under contract with the Rockets for this current NBA season at the veteran’s minimum salary. He will again be a free agent next summer.
