After an impressive 2024-25 season in which they finished second in the West and made noise in the playoffs, the Houston Rockets will have tough decisions to make this summer. Chief among them is whether they should look to trade for a star.
Doing so would sacrifice some of their young core but could help them contend now and perhaps even win a championship as soon as next season. While they have been resistant to making a big trade, their latest move hints at the potential for a blockbuster this summer.
The Rockets and point guard Fred VanVleet are negotiating to push back his $44.9 million team option to the end of June. Pushing back his guarantee date by nearly 2 months gives the Rockets far more flexibility and is the first sign that they are planning to make a major move this summer.
The Rockets' renegotiating Fred VanVleet's guaranteed date hints at a big trade
VanVleet's salary is a key component in any potential blockbuster, and the move underscores them taking an aggressive stance this summer for several reasons. The Rockets may want to keep VanVleet, but his monster $44.9 million salary for 2025-26 would make a trade for a star much easier.
For instance, Giannis Antetokounmpo will make $54 million, with VanVleet's salary getting the Rockets most of the way toward matching salaries. They could pair him with 2024 third overall pick Reed Shepherd and three first-round picks to entice the Milwaukee Bucks to trade Giannis to Houston.
They could even get creative and agree to take back both Giannis and injured star Damian Lillard. In that scenario, the Rockets could ship out VanVleet, Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr., and two first-round picks.
That could especially interest the Bucks, who would be stuck paying Lillard $112 million over the next two seasons with him likely to miss most of next year due to an ACL tear. Being able to take back his contract would likely allow them to keep at least one, maybe two, first-round picks out of the trade.
Especially if they were to also ship Green, who, despite a poor showing in the playoffs, still has star potential, and the 2022 third overall pick, Smith Jr.
The Rockets may be one step closer to trading for Giannis Antetokounmpo
Moving back VanVleet's guarantee date isn't foolproof. After all, most big off-season trades happen in July or August at the latest. They could only push back his expiration date to the end of June, with them having to make a decision before the start of free agency on June 30th.
That means that Giannis would have to demand a trade between now and the NBA draft or shortly thereafter. The Rockets would also have to quickly negotiate a deal while simultaneously beating out potential offers from teams such as the Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, and Brooklyn Nets.
If the Rockets weren't able to land Giannis, then they could pick up VanVleet's team option. That would bring him back for another season and also still give them the option to trade him this season for another star.
Or they could decline his contract and renegotiate a new deal that would bring him back for a smaller annual salary while still keeping him in Houston. As a result, the Rockets pushing back his guarantee date gives them plenty of flexibility that they can use to make a big splash this summer.