Fred VanVleet is staying with the Houston Rockets, and the decision gives the team some much-needed clarity heading into 2026-27.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, VanVleet has picked up his $25 million player option after weeks of speculation about a possible contract restructure. That means the veteran guard will return to Houston next season and will be set to reach unrestricted free agency in 2027.
VanVleet, a former All-Star, missed the entire 2025-26 season after tearing his ACL. He has been with the Rockets since 2023, serving as a stabilizing presence and floor general for a young roster. There had been questions about whether Houston and VanVleet would restructure his deal for a second straight year, but he is instead choosing the option.
The move also closes the door on what could have been another complicated offseason for the Rockets. Last year, Houston declined VanVleet’s $44.9 million team option and brought him back on a new two-year, $50 million contract. That gave the Rockets a lower average annual value, but VanVleet never got the chance to justify it on the floor because of the ACL injury.
Before the injury, he was still producing at a high level. In 2024-25, VanVleet averaged 14.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists and 1.6 steals per game as Houston reached the playoffs for the first time since 2020. In the first round against the Golden State Warriors, he stepped it up even more, posting 18.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists over seven games.
His absence showed up quickly in Houston’s rotation. Without a true point guard and another reliable three-point shooter, the Rockets finished 27th in turnover percentage and 25th in three-pointers made per game. Those issues carried into their first-round loss to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Now, barring any moves involving the two, Kevin Durant will have the chance to share the floor with VanVleet in 2026-27. This past season, Houston leaned on a committee approach at point guard, with Durant, Amen Thompson and Alperen Sengun among the names handling the ball.
With VanVleet locked in, Houston at least knows who its initiator will be. The expectation is that his presence should make the offense smoother, especially with Durant and Sengun not getting doubled so far from the basket.
The bigger roster questions now shift elsewhere. Tari Eason is heading toward restricted free agency, while Thompson’s extension situation is also on the radar.
Houston can match any offer Eason receives, but another team could still push hard enough to make him expensive. If Thompson and the Rockets don’t land on an extension, he would hit the market in 2027.
Thompson, 23, took a clear step forward offensively last season, averaging 18.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.5 steals per game.
In Other News...
Rockets May Finally Have A Shot At The Wing They Need
The trade market around wings has changed enough that Houston can at least entertain a swing it might have considered unrealistic a few weeks ago. Recent blockbuster deals have reset expectations across the league, and that matters for a team like the Rockets, who could use another versatile perimeter piece to sharpen the roster around its young core.
New Orleans had been asking for a huge haul before the deadline, but that kind of price may no longer be the standard. If the Pelicans are forced to come off that number, Houston could start looking at a package built around Reed Sheppard and draft capital, with the appeal coming from a player who can defend, score in more than one way, and space the floor. For now, it remains only a possibility, but it is the sort of opening that can change a teams offseason fast. [Read more 🡒]
Rockets Summer League Schedule Sets Up A Big Test For Young Talent
The Rockets 2026 Summer League slate gives their young group an early measuring stick, with matchups lined up against the Nuggets, Raptors, 76ers and Nets. Houston is looking to take a step forward after last years 1-4 showing, when the team never really found traction and had to settle for a short stay in Las Vegas.
This summer also brings a roster with some fresh intrigue, including former Purdue big man Oscar Cluff already confirmed on the list. The bigger question is how the rest of the group comes together around him, and whether Houston can do enough in those four games to put itself in position for the postseason portion of Summer League instead of being left to play out the schedule. [Read more 🡒]