Rockets to re-sign Fred VanVleet

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00:00The Rockets are still sitting pretty.

00:03The Rockets are still sitting pretty as big stories, big conversation points,

00:09not only here but in the city.

00:12The latest now has happened, and that is Fred Van Fleet.

00:18We understood that they opted out.

00:21They even pushed it back for a longer period of time

00:24to kind of take a look at what kind of deal they could get done,

00:30and they have been able to do so.

00:33It looks like they are planning to agree to a two-year, $50 million deal.

00:41Clint, a two-year, $50 million deal to stay with the Houston Rockets.

00:47Fred Van Fleet was set to make $44.9 million in the team option next season,

00:55and that is done, and now a new deal.

01:00And now it looks like I think I can add that one up $25 a year

01:04over the next two years, which makes a lot more sense for where Fred is right now.

01:11And I think that's a great move,

01:13and obviously that puts them in a better place to kind of allocate money elsewhere

01:18as opposed to giving him $45 million.

01:22Hell, yeah, it's a good deal.

01:23I mean, to go from potentially making $43, $44 million a year

01:28to agreeing to $25 per over two, I mean, I think it's a great deal.

01:32I think it's a team-friendly deal.

01:33Look, I mean, I know Fred Van Fleet is not maybe who he once was,

01:37but after that run he just made in the playoffs

01:39and helping build that culture and the foundation with Imei Doka,

01:44I got to believe if he would have wanted to,

01:46he could have pushed for more than $25 million a year.

01:49Yeah, he would have been somewhere in Washington, though.

01:52That makes the most sense for him, too.

01:53No question.

01:54No question.

01:54But I think that's the beauty of it, right,

01:56is you've got veteran players, you've got superstars,

02:00veteran players like Kevin Durant that want to come here over other places.

02:04And then when they get here, they're talking about taking less, you know,

02:10to allow the team to build around.

02:12And then you've got, I mean, literally within a handful of days,

02:15you've got Fred Van Fleet agreeing to a deal that seems to be significantly less money

02:21than he could have made elsewhere in the NBA.

02:25The fact that they've built something that guys want to be a part of,

02:28that guys are willing to take less to be a part of,

02:31there's something to be said there.

02:33The Rockets have accomplished a lot of things,

02:36and that's what we're seeing that they've accomplished as of late.

02:39And now how we're seeing how this has unfolded with them bringing in Kevin Durant

02:43and moving on with Dylan Brooks from Dylan Brooks and Green.

02:47But you can see now his value to keeping him here is even greater right now.

02:55The value that he will potentially bring as a steady and point guard

02:58that knows how to play with stars.

03:02He won a championship playing with Kawhi Leonard,

03:04so he knows how to play his role off of a player like that.

03:09And now, obviously, the leadership even comes even more with him

03:12now that Dylan Brooks has moved on to Phoenix.

03:16Now, his value for the Rockets is even, to me, even greater than it was,

03:22you know, the first couple of years.

03:23I think he was big to set the culture.

03:25But now he is him and Kevin Durant.

03:28And I guess, is Jeff Green still on the team?

03:30Yeah.

03:32Jeff Green is that they're, you know, him and Durant are the two guys

03:34who have won championships and played deep into the playoffs.

03:39Those are the two guys.

03:40And to have him back there with Kevin Durant makes a ton of sense.

03:44Well, I mean, if you listen to the critics of Kevin Durant,

03:46I mean, the alpha on the floor, the leader on the floor, the leader,

03:49other than just the actions and the work ethic may be lacking if you listen to the critics.

03:54I mean, I think Emei Doka is plenty alpha enough to overcome whatever Kevin Durant isn't.

03:59But if you look at Fred Van Vliet, again, coming off that unbelievable performance in the playoffs,

04:04the only reason that they even hung around in the playoffs.

04:06He got high.

04:07I mean, and that leadership component that you're talking about could be even more valuable now,

04:12you know, alongside Kevin Durant than maybe it was before.

04:16So, yeah, this is – it's just – I think it's very telling about the team that these guys are, again,

04:22willing to take less and willing to take what I would refer to as team-friendly deals

04:26to stick around because they believe that they can win here.

04:29Let me ask you and the people that's 713-572-4610, YouTube and Twitch,

04:34please jump in on this as well.

04:36Now we know they've got Fred secured, and he's going to be in the backcourt with his contract.

04:41We know they've traded for KD, Amin Thompson, Shingun, Javari Smith,

04:45everything that we can kind of see that they have.

04:48Tari Eason, I know yesterday you talked about the potential importance of Reed Shepard,

04:53Steven Adams they bring back as well.

04:56You know, Cam Whitmore, the rest of the crew.

04:57As I said yesterday, when I look at this, I still believe they are going to add a piece

05:04that is another contributor that's not here yet.

05:10When you look at what you think about this team, what do you think they need still?

05:17Obviously, they lost Dylan Brooks, and there's something there from the way he shot last year

05:23and all the intangible stuff.

05:25But if you're looking at it, if you're like, all right, Raphael Stone is potentially,

05:30and you're potentially looking at adding another veteran piece or another piece there.

05:35I know they talked about Russell Westbrook and Harden or whatever,

05:38but what do you think this team, for you when you look at what they're going to put out there,

05:44still may need?

05:45Man, that's a good question.

05:49Look, I think we talked yesterday, obviously, about Reed Shepard and that shooting aspect.

05:53But as I look at what you put out here as a potential starting lineup,

05:57Van Vliet, Amin Thompson, KD, Jabari Smith, and Shingun.

06:01I mean, I think between KD, obviously, and Jabari Smith being on the floor more,

06:05and Fred Van Vliet showing what he did in the playoffs,

06:07I do think you've got some shooting there in the starting lineup that I think you can live with and win with.

06:15I think for me, it's a, we're talking championship caliber stuff.

06:22We're talking about the team being viewed on it.

06:24I think it's Amin Thompson taking the next step.

06:27I mean, you can't, you can't, your number two to KD can't be a guy that may or may not have the confidence,

06:34may or may not believe in his jump shot, may or may not believe in kind of his approach to the game night in, night out.

06:39So I would say, I would say Amin Thompson taking the next step would determine,

06:45unless they're going to make another move for a bigger name player,

06:47like I think Amin Thompson taking the next step is key.

06:50Text line coming in, and this could be, you just said that, text line coming in.

06:54Rockets need another playmaking guard, and he says that can shoot, another playmaking guard.

07:01That could be Amin Thompson, the next step for him to be the next playmaker.

07:06I would say still, especially with you, because your Reed Shepard feel is more of a hope, like a, not more of a hope.

07:14Well, that's why I picked it, because I feel like I know what these other guys bring to the table.

07:17I don't know what Reed Shepard brings to the table.

07:18But what you're hoping he brings to the table is a shooting.

07:21And for me, it's someone, Rocky texted in 3 and D guy, a three-point shooter, defensive wing guy.

07:28Cam Johnson is a name he put forth.

07:31I am still not 100%, not 100%, but not confident and comfortable with their shooting completely yet.

07:41I think they need to add another shooter.

07:43If they could add another, like you said Cam Johnson, Rocky.

07:47I'm thinking guys that are available, Quentin Grimes, who started to kind of go off a little bit there.

07:55Remember him from playing with the Cougs, but he started to go off there with Philly.

07:59Malik Beasley has been a shooter in the league.

08:02He shot the ball really well with Detroit last year, kind of a guard forward.

08:06Those guys are guards or forwards that can shoot.

08:09I still, because right now, when you look at it, I feel good about KD as a shooter.

08:17Jabari and Fred still right now, I would categorize as streaky at times.

08:24Like, I still don't know that they are just, all right, come in and knock down, right?

08:29And then Torrey Eason is, I think, a little bit below those two.

08:34And then Reed Shepard is the one you think could be it.

08:38But, again, as we said yesterday, you can't go past the fact that they desperately needed shooting.

08:45He was the third overall pick, and they wouldn't put him on the floor.

08:48So, to me, if they could find a guy that has proven that you know, all right, man,

08:55when KD or Shingun are being doubled, this is a guy that can go spot up and knock down shots.

09:02I think that, like, that one piece that they're moving in some form or fashion.

09:07So, I think they still need some shooting.

09:08We'll talk to Brandon Scott about that at 4.40 in the 4 o'clock hour,

09:12see what he thinks they potentially still may need moving forward.

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