{"id":279934,"date":"2026-06-27T16:53:56","date_gmt":"2026-06-27T16:53:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/279934\/"},"modified":"2026-06-27T16:53:56","modified_gmt":"2026-06-27T16:53:56","slug":"former-all-star-nba-champion-named-offseason-target-for-nets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/279934\/","title":{"rendered":"Former All-Star, NBA Champion Named Offseason Target for Nets"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

HOUSTON, TEXAS – NOVEMBER 20: Fred VanVleet #5 of the Houston Rockets dribbles against the Indiana Pacers during the second half at Toyota Center on November 20, 2024 in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Alex Slitz\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

The Brooklyn Nets<\/a> have a lot of salary cap space to work with this offseason and they\u2019ll be looking to upgraded the roster.<\/p>\n

Acquiring an All-Star-caliber player with championship experience would be one way to do that.<\/p>\n

Fred VanVleet Named Offseason Target for Brooklyn Nets\"Fred\"Fred<\/p>\n

GettyFred VanVleet #5 of the Houston Rockets<\/a> handles the ball against the Sacramento Kings<\/a> during the second half at Toyota Center on March 01, 2025 in Houston, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Alex Slitz\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Bleacher Report\u2019s\u00a0Grant Hughes recently named<\/a> veteran guard Fred VanVleet<\/a> as a top offseason target for the Nets. VanVleet has a player option for next season that he could turn down in favor of a new deal in free agency. He\u2019s expected to get a new deal with the Houston Rockets, but if things don\u2019t work out that way, the Nets could be poised to bring him to Brooklyn.<\/p>\n

From Hughes:<\/p>\n

Brooklyn didn\u2019t find its floor leader in last year\u2019s draft, though not for lack of trying. Given the unlikelihood that rookie Mikel Brown<\/a> Jr. is ready to take on that role this season, maybe the Nets should try to poach VanVleet, who most expect to stick with the Houston Rockets via player option or a new deal. Brooklyn can offer big money on a shot-term contract like the one FVV inked with the Rockets initially.<\/p>\n

VanVleet missed the entirety of the 2025-26 NBA<\/a> season after suffering a torn ACL in September of 2025, but he\u2019s expected to be ready for the start of the \u201926-27 season.<\/p>\n

Key Contributors for Rockets Could be Available This Summer\"\"\"\"<\/p>\n

GettyLOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA \u2013 APRIL 29: Fred Vanvleet #5 and Kevin Durant<\/a> #7 of the Houston Rockets look on prior to Game Five of the First Round of the NBA Western Conference Playoffs against the Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> at Crypto.com Arena on April 29, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Harry How\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n

While it\u2019s likely that VanVleet will continue his career with the Rockets, there\u2019s certainly no guarantee that will happen. A recent report<\/a> from Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports suggested that fourth-year guard Amen Thomspon is the only \u201cnear untouchable\u201d player on the Rockets\u2019 roster, meaning that every other player, including VanVleet, could potentially be available.<\/p>\n

\u201cRival teams that have contacted the Rockets recently have been informed that 23-year-old Amen Thompson<\/a> is the only near untouchable on the roster, league sources told Yahoo Sports,\u201d Iko wrote.<\/p>\n

\u201cHouston isn\u2019t actively shopping its All-Stars or other key members, sources said, but are merely expressing more of a willingness to listen than at previous junctures,\u201d<\/p>\n

It should be an interesting offseason in Houston, and the Rockets\u2019 potential willingness to jettison some of their key contributors could be beneficial to other teams, like the Nets.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\tMichael Kaskey-Blomain<\/a> Michael Kaskey-Blomain is an experienced sports media member covering the NBA and NFL for Heavy. He has been in the industry for well over a decade with previous stops including the Philadelphia Inquirer and CBS Sports. Michael also serves as a Philadelphia 76ers reporter and insider for ESPN 97.3 and an NBA and NFL contributor for The Sporting News. More about Michael Kaskey-Blomain<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty HOUSTON, TEXAS – NOVEMBER 20: Fred VanVleet #5 of the Houston Rockets dribbles against the Indiana Pacers…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":279935,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[98,100,99,9,24,63],"class_list":["post-279934","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-brooklyn","tag-brooklyn","tag-brooklyn-headlines","tag-brooklyn-news","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/279934","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=279934"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/279934\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/279935"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=279934"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=279934"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=279934"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}