The Houston Rockets are in the middle of a first-round battle right now with the Golden State Warriors, and it'll be surprising if the Rockets survive the challenge.
Houston had an excellent regular season, but drawing Golden State was a stroke of terrible luck.
If and when the Rockets get bounced by the Dubs, Houston will spend the offseason upgrading its roster in multiple ways.
One of the first decisions facing the Rockets is what to do about Fred VanVleet's $44.9 million team option, and the course of action is fairly obvious -- let go of VanVleet.
By shedding FVV's contract, Houston might be in position to immediately replace VanVleet with another, far superior veteran point guard currently playing for the Milwaukee Bucks.
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Milwaukee is down 0-2 to the Indiana Pacers and is unlikely to overcome the series deficit. Unlike the Rockets, however, the Bucks have an aging roster, and the future is bleak. In short, Milwaukee is cooked, and Giannis Antetokounmpo has every reason to request a trade this summer if he's serious about winning another championship.
A Giannis departure would activate a full blow-up in Milwaukee, resulting in subsequent departures from guys like Damian Lillard and Doc Rivers.
Lillard -- like Antetokounmpo or Rivers -- isn't interested in participating in a non-contender situation.
Dame is set to earn north of $54 million next year, and Houston might be willing to pay Lillard that money if it thinks he can operate as the team's go-to guy in crunch time, a role the current Rockets are starved for.
The Rockets have a ton of draft capital and young talent to use in trades. Working something out with Milwaukee for Lillard wouldn't be difficult.
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