HOUSTON, TEXAS - MARCH 23: Fred VanVleet #5 of the Houston Rockets reacts in the first half against ... [+]
The Houston Rockets are in an awkward position. The organization showed their hand last summer, accelerating their rebuild by signing both Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks, paying them over $63 million combined this season, and signing them to a combined total of over $214 million.
When making that sort of investment for two players in their 30's and late-20's respectively, it sends a signal of what to expect moving forward.
The Rockets are surely in mood to accelerate further, underlined by their aggressive pursuit of Brooklyn Nets star Mikal Bridges.
However, pivoting off the rebuilding path also means - eventually - sacrificing young assets, of which Houston has plenty. That, in itself, offers some challenges.
Firstly, the Rockets need to unearth whether it makes sense to retain parts of their youth core when they're seemingly looking at players in their prime to help them compete. Logic dictates that pairing a handful of young players with win-now veterans will make for an awkward fit.
Assuming for a second the Rockets do indeed acquire Bridges this summer, the team is likely looking to cash in whatever chips they have left to make a proper push towards to top of the Western Conference.
Does that mean Jalen Green, Tari Eason, Cam Whitmore, Amen Thompson, and Jabari Smith are open to business?
Heck, does it mean even Alperen Şengün might be available?
Even if Şengün has superstar upside, he isn't close to his ceiling yet, and it wouldn't make much sense pairing prime players like VanVleet, Bridges, and Brooks with the 22-year-old version of Şengün, when they need a version of him that's older and has realized more of his potential.
Essentially, Houston would leave talent on the floor if they go with the non-optimized version of the Turkish center. And given how aggressive they are in their chase for prime talent, leaving talent on the floor appears like a non-starter for them.
Another question to ponder is what the Rockets think this young core can fetch. They'd unquestionably have to relinquish a few members of said core, plus draft capital, to even get Bridges in there. Is whatever left enough to make a play for another star in his prime?
Because make no mistake. They will need one. Even with VanVleet, Bridges, and Brooks around, the Rockets will need a franchise player. Şengün is the player projected to become that, but that might be a few years down the line, in which case VanVleet would be past his prime, and Bridges would close in on 30 years old himself.
This is also, in part, why their decision to accelerate their rebuild was a premature one.
The Rockets wanting to be more competitive is a fine thought, but patience in the NBA - at least with rebuilding teams - is a virtue. They could have flanked their young core with veterans that wouldn't take on huge roles, and signed the best mentors money could buy.
Pivoting entirely to winning, which indeed seems to be the plan, is likely to cost them a chance of having a group of players that could have developed together to raise the Rockets to new heights.
Whatever Houston does this summer, they have to commit. Trying to have a foot in both win now and win later camps has largely been disproven as being a tenable solution in the NBA, and it's unlikely the Rockets become the exception.
Unless noted otherwise, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball-Reference. All salary information via Spotrac. All odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.
