Rockets Free Agency: Fred VanVleet 'Top of the List,' Says Woj

ESPN NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski believes the hiring of Rockets coach Ime Udoka veered Houston away from James Harden

When Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden picked up his player option on Thursday, the NBA community assumed the Rockets would be in the mix to try and trade for him, but that wasn't the case.

ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski spoke on SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt, explaining why he believes the hiring of Rockets coach Ime Udoka veered Houston away from James Harden.

"I think once Ime Udoka came in as head coach, they started looking at their roster and what they wanted to do in free agency—I think Fred VanVleet has moved to the top of the list in Houston."

In his lone season as head coach of the Celtics in 2021-22, Udoka preached defense as Boston had the best defensive rating in the NBA (106.2). Udoka was hired by Houston in April, hoping he extends is defensive prowess, putting an end to the Rockets' 3-year skid at the bottom tier of the NBA.

Harden has surrounded his Hall of Fame resume with offensive accolades, but not many defensive ones. Toronto Raptors free agent guard Fred VanVleet would be a much better fit in Udoka's scheme as he averaged the NBA's third-most steals per game (1.8) in 2022-23.

Additionally, Harden's final season (or should I say first eight games) after a 9-year run with Houston in 2021-22 was one to forget as he repeatedly said he wanted to leave the organization. The Rockets probably don't want to throw in more chips and gamble on that again.

VanVleet is also four years younger than Harden and would likely assimilate easier to the NBA's second-youngest roster (23.58-years-old). He would be a much better overall fit for Houston and Wojnarowski realized that.

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