Rockets may have perfect Fred VanVleet trade path to land offensive upgrade

The Houston Rockets’ offense was exposed in the playoffs. Before they are ready to take the next step, they need to find more shooting and offensive creation. To do that, they should call the Toronto Raptors about Immanuel Quickley.

The Raptors’ dynamic combo guard is capable of running a playoff team’s offense, as shown by Toronto’s fifth-place finish in the Eastern Conference while starting Quickley as their point guard.

Quickley specializes in handling the ball and knocking down shots. As the third or fourth option on Toronto, he averaged 16.4 points and 5.9 assists.

Quickley shot a fairly modest 37.4% from three, but that was on an impressive 6.8 attempts per game. He is a rare shooter who is capable of knocking down threes from several feet behind the three-point line. He is also capable of shooting off the dribble or off the catch.

Immanuel Quickley would fix Houston’s biggest offensive flaws

Overall, Quickley’s spacing would be a huge boost to a Rockets offense that was extremely cramped all year and was utterly exposed in the playoffs. Although Quickley is not a pure point guard, his ability to create opportunities for others by sucking defenses in by bursting into the paint would also help this offense.

A theoretical Quickley fit is interesting, but it begs two questions. First, would Toronto be interested in trading Quickley? Second, what would Houston have to give up in a potential trade?

To answer the first question, it is very possible that Toronto could be enticed by a Quickley trade. On one hand, the Raptors have similar three-point shooting and offensive creation issues as Houston. On the other, Toronto has most of its core players locked into long multi-year deals, and the upside of their current core is still somewhat limited.

Quickley’s contract has three years and just under $100 million left on it. If Houston were willing to give Toronto a way to shed Quickley’s contract and create more flexibility to build around Scottie Barnes, then the Raptors would have to listen.

Fred VanVleet could create a path to a deal

The ideal way to do that is probably through Fred VanVleet, who has a player option for $25 million next season. If he was willing to opt into that contract and get traded back to the team he won a championship with, then that could be a win-win for both teams. Houston would have to include additional assets, but that trade foundation could help both teams achieve their long-term goals.

It remains to be seen if Houston would be willing to pull the trigger on a trade like this. Quickley is not a flawless player, and giving up assets for an expensive guard is a risk. But the Rockets do not need to overthink their biggest weakness. 

They need more shooting and more ball handling. Quickley would immediately check those boxes, which is why Houston should be taking this possibility seriously.

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