Losing Fred VanVleet right before training camp has turned the Rockets’ lofty offseason business into a self-harming tool. Kevin Durant , Clint Capela, and their other acquisitions will still be expected to bolster the team. But VanVleet was the man who would tie it all together. Now, the Rockets will be forced to rely on youth where they need a veteran’s spirit.

There are a few touted replacements in Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard . The problem is they don’t combine to form VanVleet’s experience. But that will have to suffice as the Houston Chronicle’s Danielle Lerner shut down the possibility of the Rockets signing a replacement for VanVleet, even though they have an open roster spot and the ability to claim a $12.5 million disabled player exception.

“Here’s the problem: They’re st

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