Rockets' Fred VanVleet replacement could come from a shocking source

As the Houston Rockets enter the new season, the biggest question mark surrounding their team is how they will ultimately address the devastating loss of starting point guard Fred Vanvleet.

Yet, a recent mock trade proposed by Nathan Holloway at Athlon Sports posits a particularly shocking solution: dealing for Malik Monk of the Sacramento Kings in order to bring an additional scorer and ball-handler into their backcourt.

Monk, 27, was already shopped by the Kings this summer in potential Jonathan Kuminga sign-and-trade talks, and, were Houston able to grab him for a relatively fair price, he could be the difference-making piece they need to catapult them back into contention.

A trade for Malik Monk could be a hidden solution to the Rockets' Fred VanVleet problem

While the team looked to have a renewed offensive front with their offseason acquisition of superstar scorer Kevin Durant, the potentially season-ending ACL injury that VanVleet sustained in a team mini-camp this offseason threw a major wrench in their plans.

Although the Rockets plan to approach the season with a combination of Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard as their starting point guard, neither of these players has proven to be effective under a larger offensive workload, leaving significant doubt as to whether the offense can be viable given the team's lack of backcourt depth.

Yet, Holloway proposes an external solution: dealing Finney-Smith, Capela and draft capital to bring back Monk to H-Town.

On the one hand, Monk would present a significant boon to this team's backcourt. Last season, through 65 games, he averaged 17.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 5.6 assists, shooting 32.5% from 3-point range.

Most importantly, however, he averaged 6.3 assists per 36 minutes on the court from the shooting guard position, and, while he could not be a star-caliber point guard for Houston, he could present an additional playmaking presence alongside whichever of Sheppard and Thompson cements themselves as the top option.

Moreover, Monk's average annual salary of just under $20 million would assimilate nicely into the Rockets' current financial outlook.

On the other hand, however, neither Finney-Smith nor Capela can be dealt until at least December 15 due to the recent contracts they signed this offseason, meaning that the team, no matter what, will need to wait and see how their internal solutions progress before deciding whether or not to make a move.

While losing Finney-Smith and Capela would represent a loss of depth, a player like Monk (or another guard of a similar caliber), could ultimately be the key to Houston's title hopes this season, and a trade such as this one could not be that far out of the realm of possibility depending on how the rotation develops.