NBA
NBA insiders have reported that the Rockets are ‘heavily linked’ to Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated27 Jun 2023
Last season, the Houston Rockets finished second to last in the Western Conference with a 22-60 record. They were the second youngest team in the NBA by average age in 2022-23. With a new head coach for next season and money to spend, the Rockets will be active when free agency begins. NBA insiders have reported that the Rockets are ‘heavily linked’ to Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks.
Both VanVleet and Brooks are unrestricted free agents. Dillon Brooks just finished the final season of a three-year deal. Fred VanVleet declined a $22.8 million player option with Toronto for the 2023-24 season. Sources say that the Rockets are prepared to pay VanVleet the money he wants if they cannot acquire James Harden first.
It’s looking like Harden is going to stay with Philadelphia this offseason. Chatter about him returning to Houston has died down in the past few weeks. The Rockers are seriously considering signing VanVleet and Brooks when free agency begins this Friday at 6:00 pm EST.
The Rockets are heavily linked to Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks, per @JakeLFischer pic.twitter.com/cuWPnCWdPk
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) June 27, 2023
Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks look to be serious candidates for the Houston Rockets
After seven seasons with the Raptors, Fred VanVleet’s time with the franchise could be coming to an end. Earlier this month he declined a $22.8 million player option with Toronto for 2023-24. That makes him an unrestricted free agent this offseason and the Houston Rockets have him as a serious candidate to sign.
Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer noted that the Raptors are aware that he wants an annual salary near $30 million. The Raptors will not be able to compete with that kind of annual salary. Memphis’ Dillon Brooks is also being looked at extensively by the Rockets this offseason.
During the 2022-23 regular season, Brooks made quite a reputation for himself around the league. He became one of the biggest villains in the NBA. That tarnished his relationship with the Grizzlies’ front office. Reports say that Memphis does not intend to re-sign Brooks.
The 27-year-old had some rough performances in the playoffs for the Grizzlies in 2023. That added to the team’s decision to likely not re-sign him. Brooks is still a highly competitive basketball player that could be a solid addition to the Rockets. He earned second-team All-Defensive honors in 2022-23. Houston landed some young talent in the 2022-23 NBA Draft and they’ll look to add veteran players this offseason as well.
