{"id":164461,"date":"2025-10-27T23:41:26","date_gmt":"2025-10-28T03:41:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=164461"},"modified":"2025-10-27T23:41:26","modified_gmt":"2025-10-28T03:41:26","slug":"rockets-7-options-fred-vanvleet-12-5-million-dpe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/10\/27\/rockets-7-options-fred-vanvleet-12-5-million-dpe\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Options For Rockets With Fred VanVleet’s $12.5 Million DPE"},"content":{"rendered":"

Amid a dissatisfying 1-2 start to the 2025-26 season, the talk around the Houston Rockets’ water cooler has centered around veteran point guard Fred VanVleet<\/a>. Since being signed in 2023, he’s been one of the franchise’s most popular pieces. However, while looking to carry his momentum from the 2025 NBA Playoffs into the 2025-26 regular season, the 31-year-old suffered a debilitating offseason injury<\/a>.<\/p>\n

7 Players The Rockets Should Consider Signing With $12.5 Million DPE<\/h2>\n

There isn’t a one-size-fits-all timeline for ACL tears. However, it seemed probable that VanVleet would miss the entire season when the news first broke. The worst-case scenario was confirmed on Monday, as the Rockets “plan to file<\/a>” for a Disabled Players Exemption (DPE), per Yahoo Sports reporter Kelly Iko. If there’s a silver lining to the news, it’s that the exception would be $12.5 million, equivalent to 50% of VanVleet’s 2025-26 salary.<\/p>\n

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Oct 26, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Jrue Holiday (5) moves the ball against Los Angeles Clippers guard Kris Dunn (8) during the second half at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tier 1 – As Good As It Could Get<\/h3>\n

Jrue Holiday<\/h4>\n

The Rockets’ ideal scenario would be for Jrue Holiday<\/a> to request a buyout from the Portland Trail Blazers. It’s difficult to determine the likelihood of that happening. Earlier this month, the 16-year NBA veteran pushed back against the notion <\/a>he was unhappy with being traded to a rebuilding team during an interview with Andscape’s Marc J. Spears. But between Portland being more of a lottery than playoff team and the legal drama<\/a> surrounding Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, he may reconsider his stance.<\/p>\n

If Holiday does end up requesting to be bought out, the negotiations could take a while. He has three years and $104.4 million left on his contract. Neither he nor the Trail Blazers will want to give away too much. With that being said, the beauty of the Rockets having $12.5 million to spend is that it could help offset what he may lose in the immediate future.<\/p>\n

Of course, Holiday does appear to be a bit over the hill at this point in his career. Yet, one of the reasons the Milwaukee Bucks and Boston Celtics were willing to trade him was a perceived decline. He’s already gotten the last laugh with the Bucks, winning a championship with the Celtics in 2024. He could double over in Houston, as they only need him to do what he usually does well: facilitate, defend, and shoot.<\/p>\n

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Nov 22, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans guard Elfrid Payton (22) brings the ball up court against Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) during first half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tier 2 – So Crazy It Might Work<\/h3>\n

Markelle Fultz<\/h4>\n

There was once a time in which Markelle Fultz<\/a> looked like the next star guard. Those hopes have long since been dashed due to a rather tragic injury history. Yet, the former first overall pick is just 27 years old. According to his peer’s anecdotes, that means he’s in his physical prime.<\/p>\n

More importantly, Fultz makes his presence felt at both ends. When on offense, he’s an athletic and crafty shot-creator with a knack for tough finishes. He’s also a heads-up passer with deft touch. Defensively, he’s not only a willing competitor, but pretty effective at generating turnovers.<\/p>\n

Elfrid Payton<\/h4>\n

In 2024-25, Elfrid Payton<\/a> made his return to the NBA in glorious fashion, dishing out a then league-high 21 assists<\/a> in his third game of the season. It was a potent reminder of the promise that he held when he was drafted 10th overall in 2014. However, in the 11 years that have passed since he was drafted, he hasn’t developed meaningfully in any way. What you see is what you get.<\/p>\n

On the plus side, that means the Rockets would be signing one of the game’s true floor generals. Payton’s command, court vision and adroit passes would instantly make him the best facilitator on the roster. On the downside, opponents have no problem letting Payton shoot, which would only cramp their spacing even more. At the other end, Payton is a mixed bag.<\/p>\n

Cam Payne<\/h4>\n

Cam Payne<\/a>‘s reputation precedes him.<\/p>\n

The 10-year veteran is a confident, charismatic and crafty guard with a scorer’s mindset at 6-foot-3. He’s streaky with a kooky shooting form, and really more of an x-factor than a player a team wants to rely on night-in and night-out. He’s a highly competitive player but has just average athleticism and defensive instincts.<\/p>\n

In a vacuum, he may not be the best choice for the Rockets. Yet, if he can hone in on his playmaking and be an efficient outside threat, it could work. That’s why his career 3-point percentage (.368) and career per 36 minute assist average (8.9) can’t be ignored. Nor can his ball-control, an underrated aspect of being a floor general.<\/p>\n

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Apr 29, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) drives the ball against Orlando Magic guard Cory Joseph (10) in the third quarter during game five of first round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tier 3 – Familiar Faces<\/h3>\n

Patty Mills<\/h4>\n

Patty Mills<\/a> is known more for his clutch shot-making than playmaking.<\/p>\n

Yet, in both the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and 2023 FIBA World Cup, he averaged a commendable 5.7 assists per game. He has 16 years of NBA experience, has played in 99 postseason games and has won an NBA championship, underscoring his IQ and pedigree. He was coached by Rockets head coach Ime Udoka for seven seasons, back in the days when he was an assistant under former San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich. Last but not least, he’s made 38.5% of his career 3s.<\/p>\n

There are concerns about Mills’s defense, especially at 37 years old. It may be a bit awkward to see a longtime Spur playing for an in-state division rival. However, there’s a lot that he has in common with VanVleet. He’s even a positive force in the locker room.<\/p>\n

Cory Joseph<\/h4>\n

The best days of Cory Joseph<\/a>‘s career are behind him but he did play 50 games with the Orlando Magic last season. In his 16 starts, Joseph averaged 6.9 points and 2.9 assists in 22.5 minutes per game, with .437-.377-.833 shooting splits. He also recorded a +7.5 plus-minus per 200 possessions. With a career-high of 3.9 assists per game, it’s fair to say he’s not a natural point guard. However, he’s an experienced ball-handler that’s been in the NBA for 14 years.<\/p>\n

A former Spurs draft pick, Joseph’s another player who was coached by Udoka in San Antonio. This may not make him a better option than other potential signings. Nevertheless, the fact that the two were together for three seasons does speak to the possibility that they’ll find it easier to understand each other on and off the court.<\/p>\n

It should also be noted that Joseph has earned respect around the league for his dogged defense. His impact at that end is declining with age; a common occurrence. Still, he’s the type of player that Udoka would respect, both because of his maturity and warrior mentality.<\/p>\n

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Mar 28, 2025; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Ben Simmons (25) brings the ball up court against the Brooklyn Nets during the second quarter at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Tier 4 – Hate\/Love Relationship<\/h3>\n

Ben Simmons<\/h4>\n

Ben Simmons<\/a> is arguably the most naturally gifted player on this list but his reputation repels rather than attracts.<\/p>\n

The former No. 1 pick’s mental toughness has been questioned due to his reluctance to take shots. In a similar sense, people often doubt his love for and commitment to<\/a> playing basketball. That may just seem like a fan or media invention or narrative. Yet, commonly held perception of players can seep into their peers’ and coaches’ minds as well, assuming they weren’t already there.<\/p>\n

With that being said, there’s a chance that the Rockets wouldn’t even want to sign Simmons just based on his intangibles. There’s also the fact that he can’t stay healthy and won’t take a 3. Even so, Houston could see his constant efforts to return from injury as evidence he’s mentally tough. More than that, they could look at is evidence he actually loves basketball. They could also see his decision to reach a buyout<\/a> with the Brooklyn Nets to join a contender as evidence he cares about winning more than money<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Simmons is undoubtedly an elite passer and multi-positional defender at 6-foot-10 though, and that could matter most.<\/p>\n

\u00a9 Troy Taormina-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Amid a dissatisfying 1-2 start to the 2025-26 season, the talk around the Houston Rockets’ water cooler has centered around veteran point guard Fred VanVleet. Since being signed in 2023, he’s been one of the franchise’s most popular pieces. However, while looking to carry his momentum from the 2025 NBA Playoffs into the 2025-26 regular […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5008,"featured_media":164474,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[31,1608,62,3,23],"tags":[266,969,475,1244,239,668,297,4745],"class_list":["post-164461","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rockets","category-basketball","category-nba","category-news","category-trailblazers","tag-ben-simmons","tag-cory-joseph","tag-elfrid-payton","tag-fred-vanvleet","tag-jrue-holiday","tag-markelle-fultz","tag-nba-free-agency","tag-nba-injuries"],"modified_by":"Quenton S Albertie","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/164461","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5008"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=164461"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/164461\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":164480,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/164461\/revisions\/164480"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/164474"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=164461"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=164461"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=164461"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}