3 Reasons Houston Rockets’ Fred VanVleet signing opens door for Kevin Porter Jr. trade

Leading up to the start of the NBA offseason, all the noise surrounding the Houston Rockets revolved around the idea that the team was going to make a big move to put them in a position where they could be competitive in the Western Conference this upcoming season.

For one reason or another, many believed that the Rockets impending big offseason move was going to revolve around the return of James Harden. Rockets'. However, as free agency inched closer and closer, that narrative (thankfully) quickly died.

Hours into the start of free agency, though, the Rockets' big move came to light - it was announced that Houston was signing Fred VanVleet to a three-year, $130 million contract. The Rockets have gone all-in with the 29-year-old VanVleet in hoping he could help push this young core to the next level.

The theoretical fit of Fred VanVleet on the Houston Rockets

In a vacuum, it's easy to see how the fit of VanVleet works. Even based on his "down" season a year ago, VanVleet automatically becomes the best playmaker the Rockets have on their roster at the moment. Dating back to last season, the need for a true table-setter was clear for the Rockets. VanVleet, on top of his scoring prowess, is able to provide that much-needed playmaking ability for this team's young scorers.

Money and outlook aside, there's a natural domino effect that the VanVleet signing will have on the rest of the roster. And one player that it impacts most is Kevin Porter Jr. There are a few reasons why the signing of VanVleet could indicate the beginning of the end for Porter in a Rockets uniform.

1. Kevin Porter Jr. is being effectively demoted

The Houston Rockets didn't sign Fred VanVleet to a $100-plus million contract to have him come off the bench. The writing was on the wall as soon as it was reported that the Rockets were in the market for VanVleet. After starting nearly every game for the Rockets since he was acquired from the Cleveland Cavaliers, it's going to be difficult for Porter to embrace a completely different role than he's used to.

That's not to say that he won't be open to it; perhaps this is something the Rockets ran by him before they even went fully in on the idea of signing VanVleet. Still, there's a good chance it ends up being a difficult transition for Porter. Going from almost 35 minutes per game to 23-25 isn't an easy pill to swallow for any young player that is just coming into his own in the league.

And you can't imagine that it will be for Porter. After being a starter for almost three seasons, Porter is going to be asked to come off the bench. At best, he'll be a sixth man. I can't imagine that's the career trajectory a 23-year-old wants. Objectively speaking, that could be a problem.

2. The mystery of Amen Thompson

At least for now, Amen Thompson is listed as a small forward on the depth chart on ESPN. All throughout his draft process, though, he was considered a point guard or even a combo guard. He may have the size to play small forward, but what if he ends up being more of a 1 or 2 than a forward? How much could that impact the team's logjam that they're trying to break up in the backcourt?

I mean sure, we are living in the positionless era of NBA basketball. However, at the same time, it's going to be tough for the Rockets to find minutes for every quality wing/guard on the team. Let's put it this way: the Rockets have six rotation spots for eight possible rotation-worthy wings/guards. At the very least, it's safe to say that head coach Ime Udoka is going to have his work cut out for him.

For as talented as Kevin Porter Jr. is, there may come a time this season (or even before) when the Rockets (or he) realizes he's too good of a player to only be playing 20-25 minutes per game (if that) while coming off the bench.

3. The natural stunt in progression

One of the biggest potential downfalls of the acquisition of Fred VanVleet, in the case of KPJ, is the fact that there's likely going to be a natural stunt in progression. It's not just the fact that he's going from starter to a bench player nor the fact that he's going to likely be playing fewer minutes, it's also the fact that he's not going to get the same opporunties even when he is on the floor with so many other talented ball handers around him.

For as much as KPJ has grown as a player while getting big minutes in Houston, he's still far from a finished product. And with the Rockets making the pivot toward a win-now team, it's only natural for there to be some trade-off when it comes to the progression of certain players.

With the integration of Amen Thompson and Cam Whitmore and the continued focus on the team's prized-possession from last year's NBA Draft in Jabari Smith Jr., it's easy to see how a player like Porter could get lost in the shuffle.

The Rockets may not be done making moves this offseason. And if they aren't, it wouldn't be all that surprising if they ended up trading Kevin Porter Jr.