All-Star point guard Fred VanVleet and All-NBA defender Dillon Brooks are expected to sign with the Houston Rockets once free agency starts on June 30, according to Marc Stein.
Both VanVleet and Brooks are unrestricted free agents. The Rockets have more than $60 million in cap space and are very interested in signing VanVleet and Brooks.
“It has reached the point when I speak to various teams that it would be a legitimate leaguewide surprise now if Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks don’t strike verbal agreements to join the Houston Rockets by Friday night,” Stein wrote. “VanVleet, as covered in this cyberspace Wednesday, is expected to receive a two-year offer from Houston worth a projected maximum of $83.6 million.
“Brooks has been regarded for days as an even likelier free agent to join the Rockets — also on a two-year deal in the $14-to-$16 million range annually — with Houston clearly confident that new coach Ime Udoka and his no-nonsense approach can bring the best out of the bear-poking former Memphis Grizzlies swingman.”
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks & Houston Rockets Updates
VanVleet averaged 19.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists for the Toronto Raptors this past season, while Brooks put up 14.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game for the Memphis Grizzlies. The Raptors are still interested in re-signing VanVleet, but the Grizzlies have already told Brooks they will not be bringing him back.
The Rockets won only 22 games this past season. They haven’t made the playoffs since 2020. New head coach Ime Udoka wants to establish a defensive culture in Houston and signing Brooks could help that cause since the 27-year-old made the second-team All-Defensive Team in 2023-23.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks & Houston Rockets Updates
As for VanVleet, he’s a proven winner who can score and facilitate at a high level. Every team needs a star floor general to compete in today’s NBA and VanVleet has established himself as one of the top players at his position.
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