I always liked TJ, shades of Nash in his game. Problem is he's not really a floor spacer, he can knock them down if left wide open but rarely shoots the three ball at all. I think the best option when we cross that bridge is to either pick up Fred's option (leaning toward this personally because it helps us maintain flexibility for trades) or get him on a team friendly extension (something like Dillon's contract should be achievable given other teams' lack of cap space in the offseason). As far as trading for a better guard, I don't see too many guys I'd be super enthused about. Don't love Ja Morant, Trae Young, LaMelo Ball, even though I know each of those guys have their boosters. Not convinced any of those three is a big enough upgrade over FVV to justify the dollar cost and asset cost for acquiring them. None of them are actually shooting the three ball better than Fred is, which is the main thing I want to upgrade. Sure, all of them are better playmakers and 2P shooters, but that comes at the expense of higher turnovers and worse defensive play. So going down the list... you got SGA, Ant Edwards, Brunson, Cade, Haliburton, Garland, Murray... 99% chance none of those are available this offseason. Booker, I would be on the fence about, except he's about to get paid $80M annually, which is insane franchise-killing money for a guy outside the top 10 NBA players. Kind of the same issue with Jaylen Brown (who is not currently rumored to be available either) to a slightly lesser degree... he's already on a supermax and isn't good enough to justify it. There's always Harden, of course, but his production keeps declining year-over-year as his athleticism continues to drop, and I just don't see the point in bringing him back and handing him the keys to the team at age 36. Maybe for a farewell tour off the bench whenever he's ready for that (if he ever is up for it).
The one guy I keep thinking about--if we were going to just let Fred walk--I don't know if he's necessarily an upgrade, but Jose Alvarado does a lot of the same things and is younger and cheaper and might be a better 3P shooter at this point. If we acquired Alvarado I think that would be a smart play, whether it was instead of or in addition to Fred.
While FVV is a great vet to have he isn’t worth the $45M extension. In the open market he’s probably closer to $20M. The challenge is going to be if FVV wants a multi-year contract to stay with the Rockets. The Rockets can’t offer him more than a 1-2 year deal even at 20M if they plan on keeping Bari, Tari, and Amen’s as their new contracts will kick in. But if there’s ever a draft to pick pgs in the lower half of the lottery this would be the one. I would like to see the rockets take a rookie pg instead of keeping FVV. Sign another vet pg on a minimum contract if needed but save the money to keep the young core together. Signing FVV beyond next year will mean having to let one or more of the young guns go.
1) No way in hell should the Rockets pick up Fred's 3rd year option unless they have a trade in the works in which he's a critical part for matching salaries. 2) If the Rockets decide they still need a more traditional point guard on the roster since Amen isn't quite ready and Reed's rookie season was largely a bust, I'd prefer they look elsewhere before settling for extending Fred. He's mediocre at best and there's no way the front office can't find someone else who'd be an upgrade. 3) If they wind up seeking to extend Fred, it cannot be for more than 3 seasons, that third year must be a team option, and the average annual salary on that contract better not exceed 20 mil.
He’s going to get re-signed and we won’t be happy with the number, though FVV could and should take a paycut if he’s serious about a trophy.
Oh sure….his agent is going to negotiate a 55% paycut for a player starting for the second best team in the West and 7 years younger than Curry! 3 years 120 million if we’re lucky that he takes a 9mm paycut. We very well may go higher than 120mm to match his current deal.
If he and his agent think he's worth 40 mil a year, let them go get that someplace else. I wish them a lot of luck.
Oh we are picking up Fred's option - no doubt. The only question is, what younger, better player are we trading him and our draft picks for? A list for consideration: Devin Booker? Tyler Herro? Collin Sexton? Trae Young?
we are definitely picking up the option. at the deadline we could’ve traded Jeff Green with Tate for contracts that run longer. we will want the ability to trade Fred as a huge expiring or the ability to trade him as a valuable deal for the next two or three years.
I think they’ll decline the option and try to work out a longer term deal. Will he try to get more than the remaining 42ish on that deal or will he settle for less? Using the non-tax payer MLE as a reference to what a team could potentially lure him away with—I think the FO gives him something north of 13m based on good will and how he’s helped the team. What would y’all say if it ended up being 3 yrs 60ish mil with another team option in the final year?
Nah, I think @BigMaloe is on the right track. I think he'll get paid DB money for the next couple of years, and then years three and/or four will either be team options and/or they will represent a serious drop in dollar value. I think if you pay him much less than DB he will be out of here, and they're not going to risk that. Keep in mind the standard MLE is going to be $14M. Some team would love to have him for that.
They should have no problem staying below the 2A even with FVV. As it stands now, they'd be $16,503,460 below the 2A with those 3 open roster spots. Unless they strike lottery gold in a top 4 pick, they'll likely be paying $3.5-$4.5m to a draft pick, assuming they make the pick. Leaving ~$11m for the last two roster spots. Maybe the taxpayer MLE ($5,685,000) for a FA point guard and one more spot for a backup big. They can make another $10m in usable salary space (under the 2A) with the contracts of Holiday & Landale.
Fred has had one really good game all season .... FVV is not just the starting PG. He's the only true PG on the entire roster. If they'd have had a competent backup, that losing streak probably doesn't happen and lets not forget that Jabari being out coincided with that streak. What do you expect when 2/5th's of your starters are out? They can get Giddy 2.0 in the draft .... 6'9" Russian PG/SG Egor Demin. Dude is really crafty as the ball handler in the pick and roll, finishes very well around the rim & has a bag of tricks in the mid range ....
Let me read correctly: are you saying he had ONE bad shooting night? Not ONE good shooting night over a season?
I wonder if the rockets send his expiring and picks for tre young this summer. It will be brought up, because I don't know if Houston going afford a lot of these young players. Young Green Amen Eason Sengun Looks like championship team imo.
His shooting percentage is down this year, but he brings other intangibles to the team, especially when our game gets erratic, FVV finds a way to get us back in sync
If he wasn’t taken out in 4q, we would have lost the game. Last year sure, this year he is not zero but below an avg starter pg in the league
If you ask Udoka to name the three most important players on the team he’d put them in this order: 1) FVV 2) Amen 3) Sengun/Green
