Why Rockets' Fred VanVleet's Recent Comments are a Bit Misguided

Fred VanVleet's recent comments regarding the Houston Rockets' ability to nab a superstar-level player are a bit misguided.

Apr 7, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet (5) tries to turn the corner during the fourth quarter with Dallas Mavericks forward P.J. Washington (25) defending at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Dieb-USA TODAY Sports / Andrew Dieb-USA TODAY Sports

Over the weekend, Houston Rockets point guard Fred VanVleet went back to Rockford, Illinois - his hometown- for his annual charity weekend. While VanVleet was there, he did an exclusive interview with Fox 39's Scott Leber, in which he discussed many things.

VanVleet discussed his reasons for leaving the Toronto Raptors, who wanted to keep him and struggled to identify his replacement, and his overall thoughts on year one in Houston.

Perhaps the most intriguing thing VanVleet shared in the tell-all was his thoughts on the Rockets' ability to add a star-level, proven player.

"We’ve got the ammunition for it, so we’ll see. But I’m rolling with whatever they decide to do. Obviously winning is at the forefront. I trust ownership and management that they’re going to make the right decisions."

Some of this is just player-speak- i.e. saying the right things. For example, every player would say that they trust their franchise’s ownership group and front office.

In the same way they'd publicly back whichever direction the front office chooses to go in. 

The captivating part of VanVleet's quote was the first sentence. Because the Rockets technically do have the ammunition to pull off a splash move.

Not because of their draft picks, however, as that likely won't be enough to get it done. Sure, the Rockets have the Brooklyn Nets' first round picks in 2024 and 2026, followed by pick swaps with Brooklyn in 2025 and 2027.

They'll also have their own draft picks again starting in 2026.

However, trading for a superstar will take more than draft capital. The Rockets will surely also have to part with a young prospect (or two)

There are countless examples of this. The trade that sent Kyrie Irving to the Dallas Mavericks forced the Mavs to part with Dorian Finney-Smith, Spencer Dinwiddie, and multiple draft picks. DFS was ultimately a big loss for the Mavs.

The trade that sent Kevin Durant to the Phoenix Suns saw the Suns have to part with Mikal Bridges. The deal that sent Anthony Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers saw the Lakers give up Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, and multiple draft picks.

Sticking with the Lakers, they gave up Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and a first-round draft pick. Even the trade that shipped Paul George to the LA Clippers saw the Clippers part with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander AND multiple first-round draft picks.

The deal that sent Donovan Mitchell to the Cleveland Cavaliers sent Lauri Markannen to the Utah Jazz, along with Collin Sexton, Ochai Agbaji, and multiple first-round draft picks and pick swaps. The Milwaukee Bucks weren't able to land Damian Lillard without giving up Jrue Holiday, who just won his second championship in the last four years.

I could go on but I think you get the point. 

It generally takes a good trade package to net a superstar. One must naturally give up something intriguing to reel in something intriguing.

The Rockets could always part with one of their young prospects that were recently drafted during their rebuild, but it could possibly make the team weaker.

Especially if it's someone like Tari Eason or Jabari Smith Jr.

To be clear, there haven't been any talks about the Rockets shopping those players, they just have a skillset and/or role that is highly sought after in today's game.

Getting rid of high-level role players (and draft capital) for a ready-now, win-now player could be very dangerous, as those role players usually make the difference in winning a championship and not bringing home the hardware.

Unless you believe the Rockets are simply a star away from winning it all, they may be better off resisting the temptation of going all-in right now.

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