Cryptic social media moves and a looming expiring contract suggest a Houston exit. From Myles Turner to Christian Braun, explore which trade partners could land the veteran.
One of the more under the radar stories this offseason has to do with the Houston Rockets and their starting point guard, Fred VanVleet. Will he be a starter? Will he be healthy? Will he even be on the team?
If you put any stock into social media, the veteran guard has removed all of the Rockets related posts. Those cryptic moves can often be an indicator of things to come, if not just a player’s overall mood.
I don’t think it’s a stretch to say he’s upset about something and could be on the move. Unfortunately for the front office, putting a trade together is tough. It takes two teams to tango.
While I previously suggested going after other former All-Stars like Kyrie Irving and Jrue Holiday, as seen on Roundtable, but I don’t see those as super realistic options. All indications point to the Mavericks and Trailblazers wanting to keep those guys.
We run into the same issues when looking through some of the similar salaries in the league. Naz Reid makes $23.28 million this upcoming season, but he was the main player coming back to LaMelo Ball.
On top of the Charlotte Hornets likely not wanting to trade him, there’s restrictions for recently traded players anyways. As great of a fit as it could be, it seems like a pretty unlikely option.
Sticking with big men, Myles Turner could be a potential option after the Milwaukee Bucks finally traded their franchise star away. He’s set to make $26.58 million, but has a longer deal with a player option for 2028-2029.
This one actually feels a bit more realistic to me, at least from the opposing team’s perspective. Fred VanVleet is on an expiring contract and would be off their books sooner, as well as Turner potentially not wanting to stick around for the rebuild. He signed there to play with Giannis Antetokounmpo, not for a rebuild.
Switching to another guard, Christian Braun of the Denver Nuggets is set to make $21.55 million in the first season of a five year deal worth $125 million total. For just that reason, he’s on the trading block.
That’s way too long of a commitment for the Rockets unless they are really in love with him. Even so, the Nuggets are trying to build a championship roster for Nikola Jokić. It just doesn’t make sense for either team.
As you can see, it’s not the easiest thing in the world to find a suitable trade. It could definitely be easier when combining multiple contracts, but that also complicates things in some way. Look out for more potential deals with those parameters here soon.
