Dec 23, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet (5) drives in during the second half against the Charlotte Hornets at the Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images

3 Charlotte Hornets guards perfect for Rockets after Fred VanVleet injury

Originally posted on Charlotte Hornets on SI
By Zach Roberts | Last updated Sep 23, 2025 5:38 PM ET

The Charlotte Hornets probably have too many guards and not very many days to decide which ones will make the final roster. They still have to trim the fat, even after waiving DaQuan Jeffries. The Houston Rockets, all of a sudden, are in major need of a guard.

Fred VanVleet, the veteran point guard, tore his ACL and could be out for the season. It's a brutal blow for the team that just traded for Kevin Durant and had real Western Conference title aspirations. Fortunately, the Hornets have some potentially expendable guards they could absolutely offer the Rockets.

Spencer Dinwiddie

The best trade candidate the Hornets have is Spencer Dinwiddie. This is partly because he was a strange signing after the Hornets had already brought in a ton of guards, but it's also because he fits the bill of what the Rockets need right now: a veteran point guard to manage the game.

Fred VanVleet isn't a superstar, and even if he was, the Rockets aren't targeting that. They just need a reliable player that they won't have to overspend on. Dinwiddie has a cheap one-year deal with Charlotte, meaning he's a small investment for literally just this season in Houston. He'd be a perfect addition, although it probably wouldn't fetch a huge return for Charlotte.

Collin Sexton

Collin Sexton is in the same boat, although he costs a lot more. The salary might make it harder to match, but he's also a significantly better player than Dinwiddie, which means he'd be a lot more suited to replicating the production Houston has suddenly lost.

Sexton remains an expiring contract. He does cost almost $19 million, which might be something Houston doesn't want to take on. The talent, however, is undeniable, and he would be more than a Band-Aid solution to a problem that threatens to derail Houston's promising season before it even begins.

Nick Smith Jr.

Nick Smith Jr. probably has very little value to the wider NBA, but the Rockets need bodies at point guard. Whether or not Smith Jr. can ever be a great NBA player is irrelevant right now. They just need someone who can take some minutes, and Smith Jr., albeit often poorly, showed he can do that in 2024-25.

Plus, a change of scenery might be really helpful for him. At the very least, he will cost virtually nothing to add if you're the Rockets. They could part with a future second-round pick or even just cash and the Hornets would probably be just fine taking it.