Rockets Rumors: Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks Not Signing Would Be Legitimate Surprise

The free-agent negotiating window for NBA teams doesn't open until 6 p.m. ET Friday, but the Houston Rockets appear to have already laid the groundwork to make two notable signings.

"It has reached the point when I speak to various teams that it would be a legitimate leaguewide surprise now if Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks don't strike verbal agreements to join the Houston Rockets by Friday night," NBA insider Marc Stein reported Thursday.

VanVleet could reportedly get $83.6 million over two years, with Brooks collecting a two-year contract worth between $14-16 million annually.

Stein reported Monday that it's looking increasingly likely James Harden will stay with the Philadelphia 76ers, eliminating a reunion with the Rockets that has been rumored for months.

Houston isn't putting all of its eggs in the Harden basket, though, with Stein adding that VanVleet and Brooks had emerged as primary targets for the team.

VanVleet is the orchestrator the Rockets desperately need after averaging the second-most turnovers (16.2) in the league.

Kevin Porter Jr. isn't a natural point guard, nor his he a good fit to run the offense for the first unit. VanVleet, on the hand, is coming off a season in which he dished out a career-high 7.2 assists.

Were he to sign with the Rockets, it could have a significant ripple effect.

The Toronto Raptors don't have an easy path to replacing VanVleet and thus maintaining a roster good enough to make a deep playoff run. Should they decide to embrace a rebuild, trading Pascal Siakam and/or O.G. Anunoby, who can both be free agents in 2024, would be a possible next step.

Brooks, meanwhile, would give some teeth to one of the NBA's worst defenses. Houston ranked 29th in defensive rating (118.6) in 2022-23, per NBA.com.

Brooks' offensive deficiencies would be a little less glaring on a team that's not aiming to win a championship as well. The Rockets clearly have lofty ambitions, but nobody would consider them a genuine title contender.

One question behind the Harden pursuit was whether Houston was moving up its timeline too fast and carving out a path that might adversely affect the development of the younger players on the roster.

Signing VanVleet and Brooks would be a more organic way to raise the franchise's ceiling.