Rockets' Fred VanVleet misfortune could grant surprising college star another chance

The Houston Rockets are likely to receive a Disabled Players’ Exception (DPE) following Fred VanVleet’s injury. That’s great, but it may not change their fortunes too much.

Such is the punitive nature of the salary cap. The Rockets are over the first apron. Even with the DPE, any signing they make has to be for $1.25 million or less.

For those familiar with NBA contracts, $1.25 million is roughly the equivalent of a shiny new penny. It's new and shiny:

But it's not worth much.

Go look at a list of available free agents. Most of them won't even be eligible to be signed for that dollar amount. Shockingly, a former number one pick might be:

But that shouldn't get fans as excited as you might think.

Rockets could consider signing former college star

It doesn't really matter where Markelle Fultz was drafted, does it? He's eligible for an NBA deal worth less than 1.5 million. That speaks volumes.

It's been a difficult career for Fultz. In college, he was supposed to be the next James Harden. Fultz looked like a pick-and-roll maestro who'd be a star on-ball player in the NBA for years to come.

It hasn't worked out that way. Fultz has consistently struggled in the NBA. With that in mind:

Why would the Rockets be interested in him?

Rockets are desperate for ball-handling

The last year that Fultz saw meaningful NBA minutes was in 2022-23. He averaged 14.0 points and 5.7 assists per game with a 0.5 Box Plus/Minus (BPM).

That last mark would be Aaron Holiday's career high. Yet, that comparison is doubly instructive. Fultz shot 31.0% from deep that year. That's a bit higher than his 28.0% mark. Say what you will about Holiday, but he's a reliable shooter.

He's also less dynamic on-ball than Fultz. It should also be noted that Holiday has suited up once in three games for Houston, for a total of seven minutes. That would be the bar for Fultz if he finds himself on the Rockets.

Let's be honest - this isn't a reclamation project. Fultz won't be "reclaimed" if the standard is stardom. At 27, that ship has sailed.

He could be a more effective third string guard than Holiday. That's all. Fultz could be a "break in case of emergency" option for a Rockets team that's getting jammed up in the halfcourt. He's a capable ball-handler and passer who could get the Rockets into their sets. It's not much:

But it's as much as you can ask for with the DPE.