With Fred VanVleet serving as a primary trade chip, Houston could exploit Sacramento’s unpredictable front office to bolster bench scoring with DeMar DeRozan or Malik Monk.
The Houston Rockets haven’t made any big moves this offseason, but that could still change. While the biggest fish have already been wrangled in by other teams, as covered on Roundtable, there still are some viable options to take a look at.
Fred VanVleet is the biggest trade chip that Houston has if they plan to keep last year’s core in tact, and the Sacramento Kings are a team of interest. This is one of the most unpredictable teams in the league, as their owner once suggested playing 4-on-5 in NBA games, so who knows what they’ll do.
It’s not implausible to think you could get a steal of a deal if you give them a call. Malik Monk makes substantially less than Kyrie Irving or Jrue Holiday, who previously suggested acquiring on Roundtable. At $20.19 million next year, he makes just under five million less than VanVleet.
They do, however, have an even higher level player whose contract is virtually identical to FVV’s. DeMar DeRozan is set to make $25.74 million, but only $10 million is guaranteed. They can waive him or agree to a buyout, but would likely prefer a trade.
I wouldn’t offer anything other than a contract for a contract in this scenario, but it could theoretically help Houston with their bench scoring.
Asking DeRozan to move to the bench could be an issue, but he would seriously dominate backup players. It could honestly be best for him, starting the season at 37 years old. Why not go add a 6th Man of the Year award to the resumé?
