Jeff Green has not entered contract extension discussions with the Boston Celtics, according to The Sporting News.

He’s hoping to lock up a deal with the Celtics once the season is over, but the subject hasn’t even been broached with management.

“I mean, sure, this is a great team and the future is bright for this team with the pieces that we have,” Green told Sporting News on Wednesday. “If it comes to (signing a long-term contract), yeah. It hasn’t come up, though, not at all. We’re focused on getting to the Finals and winning a championship. The contract extension is something that, yeah, I would like that, but it is something that I am going to hold off on.”

Some reports contest Green is looking for more money than Kendrick Perkins received (four years, $34.8 million). Even so, the Celtics have two things going for them this offseason:

1) Green’s a restricted free agent, meaning the Celtics have the ability to match any offer he receives. Being a restricted free agent helped drive down Glen Davis’ contract two seasons ago.

And 2) Green’s new bench role, which will see him score far less points and snag far less rebounds, could serve to limit his suitors. Rather than averaging 15 points and six rebounds this season, Green’s numbers should shrink considerably. That won’t be his fault, of course, but rather just an effect of his fewer minutes. I’m not sure NBA GMs are so fickle, but, well, I’m pretty sure many of them are.

If another team offers Green more money than Perkins this summer, the Celtics will have a tough decision to make. Do they add Green as an expensive building block, though many advanced metrics say he’s only an average (or slightly below average) player? Or do they let him go for nothing, and move forward without him?

At risk of sounding dramatic, the Jeff Green decision could alter the Boston Celtics’ entire future. Tread carefully.