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When the Houston Rockets were ready to move on from three seasons of rebuilding, they first signed Ime Udoka to take over the franchise and change the Rockets' reputation from the bench, and they also knew they needed to bring in more veteran leadership on the court.
The Rockets set out to do that in the summer of 2023 free agency, and they did just that by signing veteran small forward Dillon Brooks and former All-Star and NBA Champion Fred VanVleet. The Rockets signed VanVleet to a three-year max deal with the third year being a team option.
That potential third season has arrived, and now the Rockets and VanVleet must decide before the end of the month. Both sides decided to extend that decision a few weeks ago, as VanVleet is due to make over $40 million next season if the Rockets pick up the third-year team option.
VanVleet, from the first day of training camp, took over as the team's on and off-court leader. Younger players followed his lead, and Udoka saw him almost as a second coach on the floor. VanVleet rewarded the front office's confidence in him by having the best passing season of his career as he finished with a career-high in assists and helped the Rockets have their best assist season in franchise history.
VanVleet and Brooks helped the Rockets improve by a league-best 19 games, and even though VanVleet took a step back this season, he helped guide the Rockets to their best season in the last five years. The Rockets also made their first playoff appearance since 2020.
VanVleet and the Rockets have made it public that both parties would love to work out a new deal that would extend VanVleet's contract to possibly three seasons at a significantly lower annual amount. Even though VanVleet's statistics dropped across the board in 2024-25, he still provided on-court leadership, and perhaps just as important, locker-room leadership, that the Rockets need.
VanVleet's worth to the Rockets is hard to quantify in numbers. When VanVleet is not on the court, the Rockets' offense suffers because they have a hard time getting into their offense. Also, VanVleet is still one of the Rockets' better outside shooters.
That is not to say that the Rockets don't need to bring in another point guard. The Rockets have had to rely heavily on VanVleet as they didn't have a viable backup point guard. Whatever the Rockets do this offseason, they will need to bring in a backup point guard to take some of the pressure off VanVleet.
VanVleet has his flaws, but ultimately, he still is one of the keys to the Rockets' success as they look to take the next step next season from a good team to a championship contender.
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Lakers Officially Sign Former Ivy League Star
The Lakers probably have not had the impact offseason many fans hoped they'd have, choosing to spend their limited available money on what they hope will be bargain pieces--point guard Marcus Smart and center Deandre Ayton, players who were good enough to be considered stars at one point, but who have fallen off enough that their previous teams saw fit to buy them out. That's far from the wild trade proposals fans and some media members dreamt up over recent months. And it is far from the bubbling rumors of a blockbuster that would send star forward LeBron James elsewhere. It's still possible that the Lakers will find a wild trade to make in the coming weeks, perhaps even one that includes James, no matter how unlikely that looks to be. But those around the league and within the Lakers have long held that L.A. has belief in the current roster, when healthy. And there's a determination to give it a shot. That means not only the additions of Smart and Ayton, but also, finally, getting healthy seasons from Jarred Vanderbilt and Jaxson Hayes, plus improvement from the likes of Bronny James and, of course, more familiarity with Luka Doncic. In the meantime, the Lakers need to fill out the back end of the roster, and for a team that has had some luck with G League and two-way players, that could be important. The Lakers announced on Thursday that they are signing former Cornell star Chris Manon, who struggled and averaged 6.6 points last year after transferring to Vanderbilt, to a two-way contract. Manon played with the Warriors in summer league, and ESPN's Dave McMenamin reported that the Lakers still have a two-way post available. He wrote on Twitter/X: "The Lakers announce the signing of Chris Mañon to a two-way contract. They have one two-way contract available to fill still, with center Christian Koloko signed as their second two-way player." Manon's offensive struggles were obvious when he moved to the SEC, but it was never his scoring that was going to get him to the NBA. As the site No Ceilings wrote of Manon: "Chris Manon is one of the best defensive playmakers in college hoops. Despite carrying a 26.6 usage rate, Manon was still a high-energy, active defender. He posted a 5.5 STL%, 2.8 BLK%, and 4.1 DBPM, which are elite indicators for a guard prospect."
Biggest impact of Josh Naylor trade may still be to come
While the Seattle Mariners landed an impact bat on Thursday night, their trade for Josh Naylor has also likely impacted the entire upcoming MLB trade deadline. On Thursday, Seattle sent a pair of top pitching prospects to the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for Naylor, with left-hander Brandyn Garcia (ranked as Seattle's 13th-best prospect by MLB.com) and right-hander Ashton Izzi (ranked as Seattle's 16th-best prospect by the same rankings) heading to the desert. Knowing what the Diamondbacks received in exchange for Naylor could well set the market for what is to come between now and the conclusion of the 2025 MLB trade deadline, set for 6 p.m. (Eastern) on July 31. The 28-year-old first baseman was ranked by The Athletic as the 17th-best trade candidate likely to be available, but ranked behind just one other first baseman (Baltimore's Ryan O'Hearn, who was slotted in at 16th). If Naylor brought in a pair of pitching prospects, including Garcia, who has appeared in two games this season for Seattle, the Diamondbacks could be salivating over what third baseman Eugenio Suarez and his 36 home runs could bring in return. All MLB teams who will be buying or selling at this year's trade deadline have had the first price bar set for them with the Naylor deal. Now it will be fascinating to see what comes next, especially knowing that Naylor will be a free agent at the end of this season. If Seattle gave up two pitching prospects for a player who could be a late-season rental only, imagine what the Minnesota Twins may be able to recoup for starting pitcher Joe Ryan (under team control through the 2027 season) or the Boston Red Sox might get back for outfielder Jarren Duran, who won't be a free agent until the 2029 campaign. While Naylor may not be the biggest move to come during this span before the trade deadline comes to a close, his deal could be the one that establishes selling prices for the trades that are to come. With so few MLB teams expected to be outright sellers, the price for available talent was expected to be high. We learned on Thursday night with the Naylor swap just how high those prices may go.
Yankees Traded Flourishing Infielder for Struggling Closer
The New York Yankees have made their 2025 goals abundantly clear: They're trying to return to the World Series and win it all. In an effort to do so, the Pinstripes traded pitcher Nestor Cortes and infielder Caleb Durbin to the Milwaukee Brewers this season, adding closer Devin Williams to the roster. Halfway into the season, it looks like that was a big mistake. The Yankees are now looking to fill gaps in the both the bullpen and the infield before the MLB trade deadline rolls around at the end of the month. Utilityman Oswaldo Cabrera was great at third base, but suffered a potentially season-ending injury in May. The Yankees tried to compensate by shifting Jazz Chisholm Jr. to third, but it was clear Chisholm excels at second, and he's since been moved back. Durbin, on the other hand, has only gotten better in Milwaukee. "Over 75 games this season, Durbin is slashing .265/.350/.382 with five homers and elite contact skills at the plate," Alexander Wilson of Empire Sports Media wrote. "He ranks in the 95th percentile in whiff rate and 98th in strikeout rate — rare company for a young infielder. Durbin’s advanced plate discipline would’ve been invaluable in a Yankees lineup that too often leans on boom-or-bust approaches." Then there's Devin Williams, who has been part of a shaky-at-best Yankees bullpen. He has certainly seen improvement since the beginning of the season, when he was pulled from closing duties after a blown save to the Yankees' division rival Toronto Blue Jays. However, it hasn't been quite enough. Toronto swept New York in a four game series earlier this month, securing their lead of the AL east over the Pinstripes. Williams pitched the final inning, giving up two earned runs. He has a 4.82 ERA over 37.1 innings pitched in 41 games. Williams keeps improving, and hopefully will prove that the Yankees made the right choice by acquiring him. However, that still doesn't fill the gaping hole New York has at third base, and they're likely missing Durbin's consistent abilities in the field and at the plate. The Yankees have until the July 31 MLB trade deadline to make any trades to address these issues. Make sure to bookmark Yankees On SI to get all your daily New York Yankees news, interviews, breakdowns and more! Cam Schlittler is Not Yankees Paul Skenes Yankees Fighting Red Sox for Diamondbacks Pitchers Yankees’ Aaron Judge Ties Alex Rodriguez on All-Time List Braves Troll Yankees' Jazz Chisholm With Walk-Up Song Yankees in Trade Talks With Pirates
New Steelers WR Finds Out Aaron Rodgers Is Not Here to Play Games
The Pittsburgh Steelers are back in action. Latrobe, Pennsylvania, is once again the summer home of the iconic NFL franchise that has captured six Super Bowl titles. There's plenty of excitement around Mike Tomlin's squad heading into the season. Veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers, now 41, is expected to take command of the offense. Rodgers also has a new weapon in town: former Seattle Seahawks receiver DK Metcalf. Metcalf, just 27, brings both speed and experience to Pittsburgh's receiving corps. Despite his age and accolades, he's still young enough to enjoy some video games during downtime at training camp. But it turns out his new quarterback isn’t as interested in joining the action. While speaking with reporter Brooke Pryor, Metcalf shared a lighthearted moment about his training camp suite-mate. "I thought he did. He walked in my room yesterday and he was like, 'oh, you're gaming.' And I was like, 'yeah.' And he just walked out." Metcalf joined the Steelers after six seasons in Seattle. He was selected in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft out of Ole Miss. Since entering the league, he's made two Pro Bowl appearances and was named second-team All-Pro in 2020. In his final season with the Seahawks, he played in 15 games, catching 66 passes for 992 yards and five touchdowns. Over his career, Metcalf has totaled 6,324 receiving yards and 48 touchdowns. Thursday’s training camp scrimmage didn’t start well for Rodgers, who had his first pass of the day intercepted in front of a large group of fans. Still, Rodgers is determined to finish his career strong. He’ll turn 42 in December and currently sits at 503 career touchdown passes. In his last full season, he threw 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions for the Jets across 17 games. He’ll now team up with Metcalf and running back Jaylen Warren, who takes over as the starter after Najee Harris left in free agency. Calvin Austin III and Robert Woods are also expected to start at wide receiver. Pittsburgh opens the 2025 season on the road against the New York Jets on September 7.
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