The basketball world received an unexpected shock on Monday afternoon, when reports surfaced that Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet is expected to miss the 2025-26 season with a torn ACL. VanVleet’s injury knocks the wind out of Rockets fans’ sails approaching what was shaping up to be a year of championship contention.
Houston’s addition of Kevin Durant to an exciting young core had the team primed to battle with the West’s best after last season’s second-place finish. VanVleet’s surprise injury doesn’t completely take them out of it, but it doesn’t help, either.
There’s reason to believe that the Rockets would explore the idea of trading for a starting-caliber guard in his absence. When observing the situation through Boston-Celtics-green tinted glasses, it’s tough not to immediately think of Anfernee Simons.
Simons’ name has been woven into trade rumors ever since he was traded to Boston as part of the deal that sent Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers. While Simons is a fine player, the primary goal of the trade was to shed salary and avoid spending above the league’s second-apron as well as the penalties that come along with it. Re-routing the 26-year-old and his $27 million salary would further free up finances in Boston.
It wouldn't be shocking if the Rockets checked on Jrue Holiday
Unfortunately, it’s unlikely that Simons is the first name that comes up in Houston’s front office. That name, or one of the first, might be Holiday’s.
The veteran guard has proven to be a part of winning formulas on multiple occasions, first in Milwaukee and then in Boston. His defensive versatility and selflessness on offense are qualities any contending team would love to add.
How annoying would it be if Houston swung a deal with Portland for Holiday?
Very.
First and foremost, they’d have more leverage in the situation than Boston did back in June. Teams knew that trading Jrue was nearly essential to the Celtics’ financial goals. The same can’t be said for Portland. Instead, Houston would be the desperate party, in search of Holiday’s skillset to launch them back into the top tier of contention.
All of that is to say the Blazers’ hypothetical return for Holiday would be greater than Boston’s. They might be able to get the Rockets to throw in a young player (they’d have to to make the money work) and maybe even draft compensation.
Realistically, any Rockets-Blazers deal would need to include a third team and wouldn’t be able to happen until Dec. 14, when recently signed or extended players like Steven Adams can be included.
Even then, the Rockets would REALLY have to want Holiday. In order to make the money work, they’d probably have to offload rotation pieces like Jabari Smith Jr., Dorrian Finney-Smith, and Adams. Who knows if that works for them, logistically?
There was no way that the Celtics could’ve known there’d be this surprise opportunity to trade Holiday, nor would they have waited for the opportunity to do so. But, it’ll be pretty frustrating for the fanbase if Portland somehow finds a way to capitalize and get some value in return.