I don't like it for those two reasons but also: 1) He's not good enough to be the #1 option on a championship team, so while he's an upgrade over FVV, he doesn't really fill the actual need. 2) He's 33 years old. Doesn't fit our timeline. Honestly, none of the guards people are throwing out there really appeal to me that much. I think I'd rather just add a solid rotation player who can shoot and who costs no more than Cam Whitmore + salary filler + a couple of Rockets FRPs (not any of the ones from Phoenix, Brooklyn, or Dallas). Jose Alvarado, Ty Jerome, Cam Johnson, Coby White, Collin Sexton, Davion Mitchell, Myles Turner or Naz Reid if they can be had for that price, one of OKC's umpteen really good guards who are stuck on the bench playing limited minutes. You get the idea. I'm not averse to making a big trade and sending out one or more members of the young core in the deal. I just really think it needs to be the right guy to do it right now. We can afford to wait at least one more year if that deal doesn't materialize. There will be players at the level of Kyrie Irving, LaMelo Ball, Ja Morant, etc available the offseason after this one.
I think you missed the core piece of this. There is a clear pathway to getting Kyrie for basically free, if he chooses Houston. I agree with you that I wouldn’t do a “star trade” of premium picks and prospects for Kyrie. But functionally swapping Jalen for him via S&T? Kyrie is a clear top 10-20 offensive creator (the metrics agree), elite shooter, who simultaneously doesn’t block anybody’s development and wouldn’t be getting a supermax. And crucially - we’d still have all our picks and prospects to make whatever star trade we want. You would rather have Jalen + Cam W. in that salary slot than Kyrie Irving, if it cost you nothing to swap?
I don't know if I'm at the point where I think swapping Jalen for him counts as "for free". I know I've been kind of bipolar about JG on this forum, alternating between hyper-critical of him and "well but let's see"... but I think that's because that's kinda how he plays? He either looks like the best shooting guard in the NBA or the worst, or sometimes he just disappears completely. But I do consider him a core member of the young core, if that makes sense? He is still really young. Almost 10 years to the day younger than Kyrie. On a cheaper contract than Kyrie is (or likely will be when extended). He plays every single game; Kyrie plays like half of them. I can see your perspective, I just really don't want Kyrie f***ing Irving at all. I don't think I'd sign him in free agency, if we had the cap space for his market value. Edit: One characteristic of all the players I listed--they're all under age 30. That is a hard requirement for me. I don't want anybody over age 30.
The problem with Kyrie is he won't be that top 10-20 guy till his age 35 playoffs. Even if he does come back late next season, he won't be anything all that useful till the 26-27 season. You'd effectively pay him 50 mil next season for nothing, in hopes that you're paying him 50 mil for his age 35 and 36 seasons where you hope he's back to being good.
Trade proposal 1: Trade some hateful, ungrateful, whiny dumbass Rockets for real fans! I’m sure some Dallas fans might wanna hop aboard the Rocket bandwagon
This biggest upgrade we can make while giving up the least amount of assets is to convince Harden to opt out and we throw the Clips a bone in a sign & trade; Harden takes Fred’s salary slot. This equals a major improvement at our greatest position of need without breaking up our core, and we are not locked into some bad contract with an aging player. If the clips make it to the WCF, peeling Harden away is unlikely. But if they lose in the first two rounds or Kwahi’s knees don’t hold up, I think there’s a reasonable chance to get Harden on a 2-yr deal to chase a ring and retire a Rocket. He gives us size, shooting, and ball handling in the backcourt, and he can create for himself and others.
Houston Rockets Trade Breakdown Change in Team Outlook: -6.2 ppg, +3.3 rpg, and +1.3 apg. Incoming Players Jerami Grant 31 year old, 6-7, 210 lb F from Syracuse 14.4 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.1 apg in 32.4 minutes in 2024-2025 Deni Avdija 24 year old, 6-9, 240 lb SG from Maccabi Tel Aviv U18 (Israel) 16.9 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 3.9 apg in 30.0 minutes in 2024-2025 Scoot Henderson 21 year old, 6-3, 206 lb G from NBA G League Ignite 12.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 5.1 apg in 26.7 minutes in 2024-2025 Donovan Clingan 21 year old, 7-2, 280 lb C from UConn 6.5 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 1.1 apg in 19.8 minutes in 2024-2025 Outgoing Players Fred VanVleet 31 year old, 6-0, 197 lb G from Wichita State 14.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 5.5 apg in 35.2 minutes in 2024-2025 Jalen Green 23 year old, 6-4, 186 lb SG from NBA G League Ignite 21.0 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 3.4 apg in 32.9 minutes in 2024-2025 Jabari Smith, Jr. 21 year old, 6-10, 220 lb F from Auburn 12.2 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 1.1 apg in 30.1 minutes in 2024-2025 Cam Whitmore 20 year old, 6-7, 230 lb F from Villanova 9.4 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 1.0 apg in 16.2 minutes in 2024-2025
Or you don't go after a superstar / consolidation trade at all (Yet) .... You get a solid guy who doesn't hurt you and take that big swing when a better opportunity comes along.. I'd be looking at Ty Jerome and Tyus Jones as free agents. They won't break the bank - highly likely you can stay below the 1A with either. You don't spend assets - you can still use them should the right deal come along. You really don't have to break the bank to improve upon FVV's play .... and with better play from the PG spot, you can buy another year for Jalen.
If the Rockets are going to go with Green as the SG, the Rockets need to play either play Amen as the PG or a PG that can guard bigger players. The Rockets had enough defensive issues playing FVV, Amen, and Green together when FVV is pretty good at guarding some bigger players like Draymond.
IF Jalen continues to perform well, this is what I want from the offseason: Let FVV walk Extend Bari, Tari, and maybe Adams Take BPA in the draft No massive trades until next deadline. We need to see more.
I’m ok with this, but there is no reason not to jump on an opportunity if one presents itself. If we let FVV walk, which I hope we get rid of him in one way or the other, we will need more backcourt depth. Reed did not show enough to be certain he is a viable backup PG. He might be, but that is a huge chance on a team that has a chance to compete for a championship. We have lots of trade pieces. We can afford one or two for an upgrade to our backcourt or if Durant is cheap enough.
As much as some love the Tyus Jones or other MLE target, FVV is still likely better than them and does not hinder the Rockets in any way. FVV actually will likely be a tradeable salary on whatever extension he gets with draft capital.
Even if he is, you don't throw away veteran playable NBA players on teams on the rise without a reason* especially when your team is running out of contracts to trade. *He's good enough to take minutes away from a younger player is not a valid reason.
I’m ok with this as well as long as he is traded. The Rockets have to save Ime from himself. FVV starting all next year is a step back, not forward.
Why does he have to be traded? There are plenty of low risks moves made that don't end up in trades. The Rockets play better with FVV on the court than not. Until that is not the case, Ime doesn't need to be saved from himself. The Rockets have FVV's early Bird rights. The only reason to let FVV walk is if he has no use to the team as the Rockets don't get to use that salary on anyone else. FVV is still a rotation player. I think he's still worth starting, but FVV on the team at a minimum will lead to more regular season wins.
