How the Fred VanVleet Signing Impacts Rookie Amen Thompson and Houston’s Rebuild

Entering Friday, the Houston Rockets were expected to make a significant splash at the start of free agency. With the most cap space in the NBA at roughly $66 million, they had an advantage over nearly every team in the league as it related to spending power.

As anticipated, Houston signed former Toronto Raptors point guard Fred VanVleet in the first few hours of the free agency window opening. With that in mind, the length and value of the contract were both higher than expected. Due to Toronto making a late push to retain the 29-year-old, the Rockets ultimately threw a three-year max contract at VanVleet worth $130 million. At just over $43 million per season, he’s now set to be one of the top 15 paid players in the league for the next few years.

What’s interesting about the length of the deal is how it coincides with the contracts of Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun. Both have rookie scale deals with two years left, meaning the first year of their upcoming extensions will be the final year of VanVleet’s newly inked deal. Whether or not that ends up being an issue will be interesting.

Shorter term, the questions around the signing really surround Amen Thompson. A star point guard who spent the last two seasons in the Overtime Elite program, he was selected by the Rockets No. 4 overall in the 2023 NBA Draft and has the talent to someday be the face of the franchise. With that in mind, he will definitely need plenty of development to reach his full potential and polish a few skills.

As it relates to the VanVleet signing, this becomes a balancing act in ensuring that Thompson gets plenty of minutes while also allowing VanVleet to live up to his contract and produce, but also play a key role in mentoring his new rookie teammate. While at the surface it may seem like adding VanVleet to the roster means Thompson will miss out on getting significant playing time, that’s likely not the case.

Here’s the reality: Amen Thompson will get his minutes.

Although he’s best suited as a playmaking point guard, he has the size to slide up and play off-ball wing. Furthermore, reps at alternative positions could pay off in the long run. In the modern NBA, how often is there really just one true point guard on the floor. Now and likely even more in the future, being able to play alongside other guards will be a necessity for Thompson. At the same time, he can learn from VanVleet both on and off the court.

While Houston may have overpaid VanVleet, the cap number will only continue to climb. If the Rockets opt to trade him in a year or two, his contract should be plenty palatable for opposing teams needing a veteran point guard in their early thirties. This major signing may have sent shockwaves through the Houston fanbase, but there’s no reason to panic or overthink how this affects Amen Thompson or the Rockets’ rebuild.

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