Kings' Keon Ellis Cited as Replacement Option for Rockets' Fred VanVleet

Fred VanVleet has been the heart and soul of the Houston Rockets for the last several years. Rockets coach Ime Udoka has viewed him as an extension of him on the court.

Rockets All-Star center Alperen Sengun has talked at length about his importance and impact on his own development.

VanVleet was tasked with resetting Houston's culture and sparking a turnaround (alongside Dillon Brooks) from a young team with no real direction to a title contending team that's won games off the backs of grit and tenacious defense.

And when the playoffs came around, VanVleet was Houston's steady hand, shooting 43.5 percent from deep, while averaging 18.7 points, 63.2 percent true shooting and 57.5 effective field goal percentage.

In Games 4-6, VanVleet averaged 26.7 points, 58.9 percent from the field, and 66.7 percent from three.

That'll be tough to replace.

Especially for a Rockets team with just $1.2 million to offer in free agency, which falls below the vet minimum. Not to mention not having a roster spot.

The only way to replace VanVleet, as it pertains to external options, is by way of a trade. However, that's also challenging, because the bulk of Houston's roster can't be dealt until December 15th.

The only plausible exception is Tari Eason.

Reed Sheppard is technically available for trade but the team is banking on him to take on a significant role. Especially now that they're lacking guard depth even more than before.

Bleacher Report's Eric Pincus cooked up a deal that would allow Houston to land a point guard in Sacramento Kings prospect Keon Ellis (and the Charlotte Hornets' 2026 second-round pick), while shipping out Eason.

Pincus gave his rationale for such a move.

"After the deal, Houston stands $4.6 million below its $195.9 million first-apron hard cap, with an open roster spot for another veteran (or possibly for camp invite Cam Matthews)."

The writer continued.

"Ellis provides another lanky guard, eager to defend the opposing point of attack. While he's not a true point guard with a high assist rate, this Rockets squad has playmaking with Durant, Şengün, and Thompson. Ellis can space the floor, stop the ball on defense, and isn't in the same salary tier as Eason.

Ellis will be extension-eligible in February. His price range, should he excel in Houston, should be no higher than the non-taxpayer mid-level exception range (projected to be $15.1 million next year)."

There's a lot to unpack here. But the overarching theme is that Houston has an abundance of wing depth that makes it possible to nab an external VanVleet replacement.

The value here for Houston is that the deal would allow the Rockets to get further under the cap, while also opening up a roster spot.

Ellis doesn't quite replace VanVleet. They've got very different archetypes.

Ellis isn't the playmaker VanVleet is. But he does shoot a high clip from 3-point range -- 43.3 percent last season and 42.9 percent for his career. He's also a very good two-way player.

It's also worth noting that the Charlotte Hornets' second-round pick is generally a sure bust for a fringe first-round pick. That sweetens the deal.

This one is interesting, but again, doesn't really provide a replacement for VanVleet.