Trade Idea: Rockets Land Superstar to Replace Fred VanVleet

The Houston Rockets have still not identified an external replacement for starting point guard Fred VanVleet. Then again, they also haven’t identified an internal replacement for VanVleet either.

The 2019 NBA champion, of course, suffered a torn ACL that will likely sideline him for the rest of the season, especially based on when he suffered the injury. The Rockets haven’t officially ruled him out for the rest of the year, but barring a deep postseason run, it seems all but likely that he’ll miss the 2025-26 season.

Thus far, the Rockets have decided to go with a replacement by committee, divvying up VanVleet’s ballhandling and playmaking between Amen Thompson, Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun, and Reed Sheppard – three of which will be in the starting lineup.

Sheppard hasn’t been announced as the remaining starter, but he’s spent a good bit of time running with those four starters throughout training camp.

Houston’s ability to add an external body will get much easier on/after December 15th, when they can trade newly signed players from this past offseason. One trade idea proposed by Bleacher Report’s Greg Swartz has Houston trading for Atlanta Hawks superstar floor general Trae Young.

“Trae Young joining forces with Kevin Durant, Alperen Sengun, Amen Thompson and others would make the Rockets an incredible force, even in the West. Houston’s fifth-ranked defense should be able to absorb Young’s deficiencies on that end as well.

Using VanVleet’s expiring $25 million contract to help match salaries, the Rockets could put together a deal for Young while keeping their core pieces in place.”

Young is a superstar. He’s averaged at least 24 points and 10 assists in each of the last three seasons. He’s led the league in total assists in three of the last four seasons. And led the league in total points four seasons ago.

And he can shoot from deep, although his long-range efficiency slipped to 34 percent in 2024-25 (albeit on 8.4 attempts).

Offensively, that would be super dangerous.

Defensively, however, it would be just as dangerous, albeit for the Rockets. There wouldn’t really be a way to hide him defensively. He’d get hunted.

And he’s undersized. Sure, VanVleet was too, but he is a bit stockier and not easily knocked off his block.

We’ve seen the opposite with Young.

And we know Ime Udoka focuses intently on that end of the floor.

Constructing a trade would be fairly easy, especially if including VanVleet’s salary. But he has an implied no-trade clause. Meaning he’d have to sign off on such a move.

The Rockets could throw in Sheppard and Tari Eason (who is in the final year of his contract) to match salaries. And they certainly have the draft capital to lure the Hawks, if Houston is indeed interested in Young.

The Hawks also wouldn’t do this, after going all in this summer and likely realizing a much easier path than usual to skate through the East this season.