Ime Udoka, Amen Thompson, Fred VanVleet
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Houston Rockets coach Ime Udoka celebrates with Amen Thompson and Fred VanVleet after a timeout is called.
After the Houston Rockets made the playoffs with a young roster supplemented by veterans Fred VanVleet, Steven Adams and Dillon Brooks, they could get greedy this offseason and make a big move.
One option for them is to take advantage of the Boston Celtics’ financial dilemma.
With the Celtics looking to make significant changes to duck the second apron with a $500 million payroll, including the luxury tax penalties, and potentially entering a gap year with Jayson Tatum‘s Achilles injury, the Rockets might have a shot at landing former NBA Finals MVP Jaylen Brown.
Bill Simmons of The Ringer proposed a wild trade that would see Brown reunite with Ime Udoka and also get two-time champion point guard Jrue Holiday without giving up their important players and cache of draft picks.
Here is Simmons’ trade proposal:
Boston Celtics Receive: Fred VanVleet, Jabari Smith Jr., Tari Eason, 2025 No. 10 Pick
Houston Rockets Receive: Jaylen Brown, Jrue Holiday
Doubling Down on Defense
This proposed deal gives Celtics financial flexibility to reset while waiting for Tatum to recover. In return, the Rockets get their go-to guy in Brown, who is a two-way star and a seamless fit with Udoka’s system.
The 29-year-old forward is a two-way star who fits the Rockets’ culture under Udoka. Brown averaged 22.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.2 steals this past season. He was the Celtics’ primary defender on Luka Doncic when they won their 18th championship last year.
As an added bonus, they get Holiday, who is defensively better than VanVleet. A backcourt of Holiday and Amen Thompson will bring fear in the Western Conference. It also makes Jalen Green expendable, making him a prime trade candidate in another deal that could potentially bring another significant piece or more solid role players to provide depth.
Fred VanVleet Wants to Stay in Houston
Fred VanVleet, Rockets
Getty Fred VanVleet of the Houston Rockets could be traded for a star this summer.
The Rockets and VanVleet agreed to push back the deadline on the point guard’s $44.9 million team option to June 29, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported.
The move buys the Rockets more time to weigh their options and increased VanVleet’s chances to get that salary guaranteed. Houston can also use VanVleet as a salary ballast in a star trade if someone becomes available ahead of the deadline.
VanVleet is open to staying and signing a much cheaper long-term deal if the Rockets decline his $44.9 million option.
“Obviously, I put my heart and soul into this and this is where I want to be,” VanVleet told reporters following the Rockets’ first-round loss to the Golden State Warriors. “It’s definitely a family situation. I’ve got a lot of love for our coaching staff and (general manager) Rafael (Stone) and the Fertitta family and just what we set out to do when I had my free agent meeting two years ago and we’re on that track. It was never a short-term vision — it was a long-term goal. We’re on track, we’re on schedule.”
The 31-year-old point guard finished his second season in Houston, averaging 14.1 points, 5.6 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.6 steals. He raised his level of play in the playoffs, proving his real value to a young Rockets team.
VanVleet averaged 18.7 points on 43.5% 3-point shooting against the Warriors in the postseason. His big performances in Game 5 (26 points on 61.5% shooting) and Game 6 (29 points, 8 assists) lifted the Rockets to force a Game 7 after facing a 3-1 series deficit.