This is a HEIST for the Rockets… -

There are more moves incoming for the Houston Rockets as the Kevin Durant trade was just the start for Houston. A new report reveals a huge update on Houston’s next move and it may shock you. We welcome you in here to Rockets Digest. I’m Jace Andrews and I appreciate you joining us. The day after a big trade is always a crazy one.

Reports come out, things get said, and I’m excited to talk about the report that we have today from Stephen A. Smith. Before we get going though, we recognize that 76% of you who watch these videos are not yet subscribed. Now, we’re over 2,000 subscribers strong. We’re one of the fastest growing channels on Rockets YouTube.

So, if you have not already joined the Rockets Digest community, hit the subscribe button today. Join us. I would certainly appreciate it. Okay, the bombshell trade report that I’m not going to say shocked the NBA world because we knew Kevin Durant was going to be traded. We had a feeling it was going to be to one of his preferred teams, Houston being one of those names.

And now we have the official report. Obviously, Sham Shereanya dropping it yesterday morning. Kevin Durant goes to the Houston ro Houston Houston Rockets in exchange for Jaylen Green. Dylan Brooks the 10th overall pick this year and five second round picks spread across the next like I believe seven years. I think the second round pick in 2032 is included in that.

So, a very, very crazy trade, but very much so making the Rockets better in my opinion. I think they have a better shot to go out there and win the NBA Finals. Am I sad about Jaylen Green? 100%. I wish that he could have stayed as a Houston Rocket for his entire career.

But when the trade like this presents itself, I feel like you had to pull the trigger on Raphael Stone. Did exactly the right thing. But what’s next for the Houston Rockets? Well, Stephen A. Smith talked about a potential reunion with a former teammate of Kevin Durant.

Kevin Durant also talked about this as well yesterday at Fanatic’s FanFest. So, we’ll break down all of that. But the first thing I want to talk about is where this team stands at right now. And of course, that stands with cap space. Now, with Kevin Durant in, Jaylen Green, Dylan Brooks out, it has the Rockets at a first apron of8 million.

So, they’re now in that first apron wholeheartedly. However, before you kind of look at this and question it, Fred Van Vleet’s 44 whatever million contract is still included in this table. So, if you look at this, we know that the Rockets are going to decline Fred Vanble Vleet’s option. We are going to try and sign him back on a more teamfriendly hopefully longer term deal like four or five years um maybe about $10 million a year rather than 44. I think he’s probably going to ask for 20 which rightfully so.

We’ll see what the Rockets end up doing. and they have some money to spend. I wouldn’t be too too shocked they just decided to not get Van Vleet, but I know they really want him.

It’s just depending on the money at this point and what Van Vleet is willing to accept and what the Rockets are willing to give with the money they have at hand. So, that’s the first thing.

They obviously want to stay under that first apron. Um, that’s just the way that the Rockets organization has always talked about it. They want to be under it. They don’t want to have to worry about, you know, all the taxes and stuff and definitely don’t want to be anywhere close to that second ape.

And so, what does the starting lineup look like with the team we have at hand?

Well, it’s a pretty dang good one. Fred Vanit who is 6′ Thompson 67. And then listen to these three, which the Rockets have already stated they will be the this will be the starting lineup. Kevin Durant, Jabari Smith Jr. at the power forward and small forward and out Shingun at the center position.

We’re going to have a lineup of 67, 611, 610, and 611. And there’s a very real shot that sometimes Steven Adams rotates into this mix because of the ball handling ability of Kevin Durant and Jabari Smith Jr. and you put potentially Jabari at the shooting guard or the two, it wouldn’t really play like that.

But there is a world where the Rockets could have potentially five guys out there of six, seven plus, which would be pretty crazy. And for teams that don’t have a height advantage, the Rockets could eat their lunch money.

I mean, it would take or take their lunch money, not eat their lunch money. They would take their lunch money and and throw it away. I mean, it would be just absolutely unfair for the Rockets if they threw out a lineup like that. And it’s exciting. However, there is some things that I would like for the Rockets to address and that’s kind of where we go here with our depth chart.

Now, you can kind of see here.

Here’s the starters. According to ESPN, these are obviously not true. Fred Van Vleet, Reed Shepard, Aman Thompson, Kevin Durant, Alpen Shing Good. We know now that Almond’s going to move to the two.

Fred’s going to play the one as long as he stays, which every indication says he will. And then the shooting, the small forward will go to KD. Power forward will be Jabari. Uh kind of one two there. And then Shingun will obviously keep that center position with Adams right behind him.

Now looking at this, he really would like a guard because Almond is great. I think he can easily play point guard, shooting guard. That’s not a worry of mine. However, when it’s Fred Vanet and Almond at the point guard and shooting guard position, when one of them has to come out, it’s Aaron Holidayiday or Cam Whitmore. Um Reed Shepard obviously playing there, which I’m not saying I don’t trust them.

I just know that Cam and Reed are young and I would like to have just a little bit extra of a cushion for them. Somebody who has really good experience, somebody who has played in the NBA for a while. And I would just like to kind of see what the Rockets could do, especially signing somebody with maybe a a veteran minimum contract potentially. And that’s where Stephen A. Smith comes in cuz he urges a Russell Westbrook reunite with Kevin Durant.

Now, hold your horses. And I’m sure your question, we had Russell before. It didn’t work out. I don’t want that. I understand.

I understand. However, he’s a guard. He would sign the vet minimum. He would be here to win a championship, which imagine if the Rockets got KD and Russell rain together.

That would be crazy.

And then the biggest thing to me, he’s experienced and he can go out there and he can shoot. He can a good assist. uh a good assist guard like he he fits the mold and honestly reminds me a lot of Fred Vanble in some ways so it’d be nice. Here’s the tweet from Stephen A. Smith yesterday after the Kevin Durant trade saying since Dylan Brooks is gone how about going after Russell Westbrook.

The man is still a warrior. Ain’t backing down from anyone. Can’t underestimate his toughness and dependability. Not saying it’s going to happen, but wouldn’t mind seeing this for KD and the Rockets at all.

To hell with all the past nonsense.

Let’s all move forward. Now, the last little thing there, the nonsense. There are some lingering things that maybe Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook don’t have the best chemistry. I I’m not worried about that at all. I don’t think that is a thing that we should worry about.

And I truly believe that the Rockets are in a position where they could make this work and and go out there and sign somebody because they really do need a cheap guard with some experience.

They do. And obviously, let me know in the comment section, who could they sign? And obviously Russell Westbrook is a guy that is going to be pretty cheap, is going to have experience, and has played with Kevin Durant before, but obviously there’s so many. There’s Malcolm Brogden there.

There’s a lot of guys out there that the Rockets could go out and sign.

And so let me know in the comments section. Is there a guard you would like to see the Houston Rockets go out and get? Cuz I think that is the move for the Houston Rockets. Go out, sign a cheap guard, and see what you can do with them because it’s definitely a piece that would help out a lot.

And again, reuniting a Thunder duo, I I don’t really want James Harden back, especially since he’s going to be way more expensive and the Rockets aren’t going to pay for him. But it’s just very funny how the original Thunder 3, by the way, congratulations to the Thunder who win the NBA championship. However, it’s ours next year and y’all aren’t stopping us. Besides the point, Kevin Durant and James Harden and Russell Westbrook laid the foundation in OKC and now it’s time to get Kevin Durant and maybe Russell Westbrook a ring uh here in Houston.

Obviously KD has the one with the Warriors, but it’s time to get Russ a ring here and I would certainly be happy about it.

He’s also a really good player. Like I I think he’s kind of underrated in a lot of aspects. Yes, his points per game are the greatest. Yes, he’s also going into his age 37 season. But when you look at his intangibles, when you look at his assist numbers being over six point over six assists per game, he fits the mold for the Rockets and what they would need, what they would use, an assisting point guard who has experience, who could teach the young players and help out with Almond Thompson.

I mean, again, Russell Westbrook at 6’4 is a taller guard. I know that it’s hard to compare because Fred Vanit is one of the shorter guards, but still a 6’4 guard. Usually, you’re talking 6’2, 6’3. He’s on the taller side. Now, he’s not Aman Thompson, but he could definitely be a help to Aman and kind of help growing his game and again really learn from some of these veterans, which I think the Rockets are are smart to use and smart to kind of go out and try to work out.

So, there is one last thing that the Rockets do have to worry about, and that’s Fred Van Vleet. It’s really truly about his contract because the Rockets want to have Fred Van Vlad on the team. They do. However, they also want to have some money flexibility. And so, you’re negative8 million right now, and that’s with $44 million in cap space for Fred Van Vleet.

And so, what exactly does the contract look like? How exactly are you able to look at the cap space here and figure out what to do? We’ll just do some quick math here.

$44 million. You’re negative8 million down immediately.

Let’s just take $44 million off the books. Just just for preface here, you’re immediately going to go down into the first apron to where you are in a positive and you at that point would have somewhere in the area of about $36 million to spend this year. So, in that case scenario, you could probably get get Fred Vanble to say, “Okay, how about a four-year contract?” because he is 30 31 got a four or five year contract for $20 million a year.

I think that’s fair.

I think he’s worth it. I think 20 to 25 would be the area that I’m in with him. And that leaves you about $10 million, sometimes a little more depending on what you actually set for if it’s 20 or 25 to go out there and get a guard. And by far Russell Westbrook would be the cheapest to get out there.

It’d be a very easy one to grab and I would certainly certainly like to see a reunion of them.

But obviously there are so many other guards to get. And the best thing about this with the Rockets is the offseason literally just started in some ways cuz the finals ended last night and now the Rockets have already made the biggest move of the offseason. Like unless Giannis actually is traded, this is a huge huge move and now we wait cuz the draft really doesn’t mean anything for the Rockets now. the 10th of Raw pick was traded, the 59th of Raw pick was traded. It’s really about Fred Van Vleet and his contract.

When he opts out or when the team opts out, what will that contract look like? Will it be a $20 million deal? Will it be a $30 million? Like, are they willing to give him a little more for long term? I don’t know.

And that’s the big question. Fred Vanble has expressed his interest in staying here. The Rockets have expressed their interest in keeping him. However, the Rockets have also expressed interest in getting another veteran guard just to help with Reed Shepard and Cam Whitmore this upcoming year kind of transition into them being more of a present role, especially given you kept Jabar, you kept Reed, you kept Cam in the trade with Kevin Durant.

It’s a lot of question marks.

It’s a lot of things that we’ll have answered very shortly. But the moves have just started for the Houston Rockets and I’m excited to see what they do because Raphael Stone has already had a fantastic season. Just look at it right now. You resigned Stephen Adams all the way by the way reunion of Steen Adams and um Kevin Durant OKC days. Uh you have the of course extension of Emodoka and that’s obviously great and then you have the trade for Kevin Durant.

So, an OKC Stephen Adams, an OKC Kevin Durant. Now, they’ll play together in Houston. It’s a lot of good positive things. What if we brought Russell Westbrook in this situation? Let me know down in the comments section your thoughts on this and if you think this is a good idea, you think this is a bad idea.

If you think Stephen A.

Smith is out of his mind, let me know down in the comment section. And we will see you next time right here on Rockets Digest. One last time though, if you are part of that 76% that has not subscribed, do me a favor, hit that subscribe button right now. We’ll see you next time here on Rockets Digest.