In an attempt to land one of the best available players in this year’s NBA free agency class, the Houston Rockets are seriously considering an outlandish two-year offer for a huge sum of money.
After three years of going through the process to try and rebuild their franchise from scratch after trading away future Hall-of-Famer James Harden, the Houston Rockets head into a pivotal summer for the franchise. The organization has grown restless with teams that land in the lottery and want to return back to relevancy sooner than later.
Related: NBA free agency – Where will James Harden, Kyrie Irving, and Draymond Green land?
In the next few weeks, they will have the ability to do that since they have over $60 million in available cap space to splurge on some of the top athletes available in free agency. There has been a great deal of speculation on possible targets — James Harden continues to be linked to the team — and how many players they could sign — reports claim they could add three to four veterans. However, momentum seems to be building behind a pursuit for Fred VanVleet.
Over the last week, it seems more and more unlikely that the Houston Rockets would be able to secure a reunion with Harden. On Monday night, it was reported that the Toronto Raptors star would be the team’s Plan B in the event they fail in acquiring their top target. But VanVleet will not come easy and is expected to garner a good deal of interest on the open market.
Could Houston Rockets consider giving Fred VanVleet a two-year, $80 million deal?
Despite it seeming unlikely months ago, there is a real chance the Toronto Raptors could re-sign one of the few players remaining from their championship team. The Houston Rockets are aware of the Raptors’ hopes and it seems they may attempt something shocking to land the one-time All-Star.
Recent reports suggest the 29-year-old is aiming for a contract that would pay him in the range of $30 million annually. On Tuesday, Yahoo Sports NBA insider Jake Fischer revealed the Rockets are considering “short-term, high-salary contracts” to lure top-shelf free agents. In the case of VanVleet, Houston is looking into a potential contract worth $80 million over two years, which sources suggest is what would guarantee VanVleet ends up in Texas next season.
- Fred VanVleet stats (’22-’23): 19.3 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 7.2 APG, 1.8 SPG, 34% 3PT
It is a whopping sum for a player of VanVleet’s level, but there are benefits in it being such a short-term deal, and if the Houston Rockets are desperate enough to get back to the postseason, it might be seen as a worthwhile short-term investment as they continue to develop their horde of prospects.