The Rockets solidify a starting lineup with Fred VanVleet signing.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski, the Houston Rockets have signed Fred VanVleet on a monster deal. The Rockets are paying VanVleet a $130 million dollar deal over the next three years.
The Rockets have been heavily linked to VanVleet for a while but it seemed for a short while as if the Raptors were going to be able to make a late comeback for the player. This may be a bit of a overpay for the Rockets due to the fact Fred VanVleet is most likely not a max player on a championship team that requires him to be one of the best players on it.
Very quickly before we get to the Rockets, the Raptors lost a lot by not being able to re-sign VanVleet. Toronto does not have a starting point guard outside of an awkard Scottie Barnes fit. They ended up trading their first-round pick for next season at the trade deadline which forces this team to continue down this road despite the fact that they lost a key starting piece.
Keep in mind, Toronto did not make the playoffs last season. They might be in a better situation as they will have Jakob Poeltl for the entire season, unlike last season. Still, it would be really unlikely for this team to end up out of the first round next season.
Rockets starting lineup after Fred VanVleet trade
Here's what the starting lineup looks like for the Rockets now:
- PG: Fred VanVleet
- SG: Jalen Green
- SF: Amen Thompson
- PF: Jabari Smith Jr
- C: Alperen Sengun
The Rockets were a team that was looking to get to the playoffs this season. They were targeting a lot of top free agents this offseason and were able to get one of them. VanVleet may have not been the top player in free agency, but he was certainly one of the best players in free agency.
The Western Conference is full of teams that are looking to make the playoffs this season. Therefore, this Houston team is a guaranteed lock to make the play-in. Still with that in mind, Houston will most likely be able to be competitive in March and April which was the goal of this team for this offseason. They have room to make one more big move which could include signing Brook Lopez or Dillon Brooks.