Rockets' Fred VanVleet suffers torn ACL, could miss entire season

The Rockets signed VanVleet to a three-year $128.5 million contract in 2023, with the third year being a team option. At the beginning of this year’s offseason, Houston declined that option, and instead signed VanVleet to a new two-year $50 million contract with a player option in the second year.

This gave the Rockets much-needed flexibility to restructure their cap and make a big splash by trading Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, and picks to the Phoenix Suns for Kevin Durant. They also acquired Dorian Finney-Smith, Clint Capela and Josh Okogie to bolster their roster, while extending Jabari Smith Jr. and resigning Jae’Sean Tate, Aaron Holiday and Jeff Green.

What to expect from the Houston Rockets without Fred VanVleet

Houston seemed to have made all the right moves to set itself up as a true contender heading into the upcoming season, but now it already faces an extremely difficult hurdle ahead of training camps.  VanVleet was the starting point guard for the Rockets over the past two years, with Jalen Green being the alternate primary ball-handler. With neither one suiting up for them this year, that leaves Holiday as their sole remaining point guard, a solid player, but a significant downgrade from where they expected to be.

The Rockets will have to get creative from here to get the most value out of this season. That could mean shifting Amen Thompson, their 6-foot-7 star prospect, down to be their primary ball-handler, though Thompson isn’t quite the offensive threat that VanVleet is. They could also opt to incorporate Reed Sheppard into the lineup more. Sheppard was the third overall pick in the 2024 draft, but didn’t see much playing time. He was also primarily positioned as a shooting guard when he did take the floor.

 If Houston isn’t satisfied with their in-house options, they may have to look to deal VanVleet out. His contract is easy enough to move from a cash perspective at $25M annually; however, other teams may need the Rockets to sweeten the deal, given that VanVleet won’t be able to contribute on the court this year, and will be going into his age-33 season the following year post-ACL injury.

Last season, VanVleet averaged 14.1 points, 5.6 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game, his lowest in each category over the past six seasons. He did this on 37.8/34.5/81.0 shooting splits while playing 35.2 minutes per game. More than the stats, Houston also looked to VanVleet for his steady veteran presence, with him having previously won a championship with the Toronto Raptors in 2019.

The Rockets have been thrust into a tough position heading into the season, but the timing of the injury may still leave them an opportunity to salvage it. Expect them to be active on the phones to evaluate the guard market, potentially looking at players like Anfernee Simons and Malik Monk.