Rockets make $10 million decision on Fred VanVleet backup
07/01/2024 09:35 PM
The Houston Rockets and free agent point guard Aaron Holiday have agreed to a two-year deal, per Shams Charania of The Athletic.
“Free agent guard Aaron Holiday plans to sign a two-year, $10 million deal to stay with the Houston Rockets, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Holiday played 78 games as a reserve guard for Rockets’ turnaround season last year.”
Holiday averaged 6.6 points on 44.6 percent shooting from the field and 38.7 percent from behind the arc for the Rockets last season.
He began the season as a vital reserve for Houston, but Amen Thompson’s emergence made Holiday’s minutes shrink and become inconsistent. His best game of the season took place during the Rockets 110-101 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Dec. 6. He scored a season-best 22 points while shooting a career-best 6-of-7 from behind the arc.
Holiday began his career as a first-round pick in the 2018 NBA Draft by the Indiana Pacers. He spent time with the Atlanta Hawks, Washington Wizards, and Phoenix Suns before joining the Rockets in July 2023, holding career averages of 6.6 points and 2.1 assists per game.
Rockets add Reed Sheppard to young core
Despite fielding calls from the Memphis Grizzlies and Portland Trail Blazers, the Rockets stayed put and selected Reed Sheppard with the No. 3 pick in last Wednesday’s NBA Draft.
The Rockets already have a number of high-profile players as part of their young core, including Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr, and Amen Thompson. Tari Eason and Cam Whitmore can be tossed into the mix as well, as key young pieces. With all this youthful talent, there has been talk of Houston looking to cash in some chips for a proven star after jumping from 22 wins to 41 wins. It remains to be seen whether or not the Rockets decide to do so, but it’s doubtful that Sheppard will be included in any trade discussions.
Sheppard will bring elite shooting and efficiency to Houston after his lone season at Kentucky saw him rocket up draft boards. The Wildcats star averaged 12.5 points, 4.5 assists and 4.1 rebounds while shooting a red-hot 53.6% from the field and 52.1% from 3-point range.
Sheppard is undersized after measuring just under 6-foot-2 without shoes and about 182 pounds at the combine, so there will be questions about how he’ll hold up defensively. He did crush the vertical leap, though, and his offense could wind up being so good it doesn’t matter.
As he gets started on a Houston team looking to take a step forward to compete under Ime Udoka, Sheppard will likely be deployed as a microwave sixth-man type off the bench behind Green and Fred VanVleet in the backcourt. Teams can never have enough shooting, and the Rockets ranked just 23rd in 3-point percentage this past season. He should be able to play a bit of point guard as well if needed.
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