Derek White airborne Houston? VanVleet became a bargaining chip?

famous mouth Bill Simmons said in his podcast about Durant's cooperation with the Rockets: "To be honest, Durant's deal made me very frustrated. The Rockets paid a huge price. Every day he had him was a countdown. Who knows what next summer would look like?" Especially when VanVleet was reimbursed for the season, Durant would not easily reach a contract renewal agreement with the Rockets. Once he felt that this team could not help him win the championship, he would leave without hesitation. At that time, Jaylen Green, Dillon Brooks, and 2025 No. 10 rookie Maru Archie will be burned. Therefore, the best way for Rockets general manager Rafael Stone is to strengthen as much as possible and continue to maintain hope of winning the NBA championship in the new season.

Recently, the US media "NBA Analysis" suggested that after Van Vleet was injured, the Rockets' management took Derek White, the Celtics' champion winner, as the primary target of signings. He is an upgraded version of Van Vleet and can completely replace the latter. After sending away Ju Holiday and Porzingis one after another, the Celtics have given up the new season and waited until Tatum completely recovered from health in the 26-27 season before making plans, so this is a good opportunity for Rockets general manager Raphael Stone to strengthen. The media provided a 3-for-1 trading offer to the Rockets and Celtics. The specific trading plan is: the Rockets send Fred VanVleet + the 2027 Suns first round pick + the 2029 first round pick (the second highest pick for the Rockets, Suns and Mavericks) to get Derek White from the Celtics.

Derek White is 31 years old, 1.93 meters tall, 2.02 meters in wingspan, and weighs 86 kilograms. He plays as a point guard on the field. He averages 33.8 minutes per game last season, scoring 16.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.1 blocks, and has a three-point shooting percentage of 38.4%. As a member of the second team of the All-Defensive Team, White's influence on the defensive end is unquestionable, especially in terms of blocking, he is not inferior to the inside player. Van Vleet acts as a defensive vanguard on the outside in Uduka's tactical system, and Derek White can also play the same role. In addition, he has a higher grasp of the offensive end, especially the three-pointers in the open position. The only drawback is that White has average organizational tandem ability, and he is more like an American dual-energy guard than a traditional organizer.

Celtics general manager Stevens set the tone for the new season this summer. He knew that it would be difficult for the Celtics without Tatum to win the championship, so in order to avoid touching the second rich line, he sold off two major champions Zhu Holiday and Porzingis at a low price. Van Vleet's injury not only did not cause trouble to the Celtics, but instead provided head coach Mazula with conditions to train new players. After Van Jordan and the Rabbit recovered their health at the same time, the Celtics are another championship-level team. In short, this is a deal that both the Rockets and Celtics teams can each get the required one. The Rockets maintained the possibility of continuing to compete for the championship, and the Celtics not only gained a chance to breathe, but also received two future first-round picks as compensation.

All views refer to authoritative American media and are for reference only. Click to follow and recommend fans first.