Fred VanVleet, Josh Giddey Reportedly Expected to Stay with Rockets, Bulls in NBA FA

Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet and Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey are reportedly expected to remain with their current teams this offseason.

According to NBA insider Jake Fischer on the Stein Line Substack, the "working assumption" among most NBA executives is that the Rockets and Bulls will retain VanVleet and Giddey, respectively.

VanVleet, 31, signed a three-year, $128.5 million contract with the Rockets in 2023 after spending his first seven NBA seasons with the Toronto Raptors.

He was a one-time NBA champion and one-time All-Star during his time north of the border, and he brought a great deal of experience and savviness to a young Rockets team.

VanVleet made an instant impact, helping the Rockets go from 22-60 the year before he arrived to 41-41 in his first season with the team. Then, Houston went 52-30 and earned the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference this season.

Although he took a back seat to Jalen Green and Alperen Şengün offensively this season, VanVleet was still third on the team with 14.1 points per game to go along with 5.6 assists, 3.7 rebounds, 2.7 three-pointers made and 1.6 steals.

The Rockets have a $44.8 million club option on VanVleet for the 2025-26 season, and they have until June 29 to either exercise or decline it.

Based on Fischer's report, it sounds as though VanVleet will remain in Houston whether the Rockets accept the option or decline it and negotiate a new deal.

The 22-year-old Giddey is coming off a career year with the Bulls after they acquired him in a trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder last offseason.

In 70 games, the Aussie averaged 14.6 points and a career-high 8.1 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.5 three-pointers made and 1.2 steals. He was also fairly efficient, shooting 46.5 percent from the field and a career-best 37.8 percent from beyond the arc.

Trading Giddey worked out well for the Thunder since they landed a key bench contributor in Alex Caruso and are just two wins away from the NBA Finals, but the Bulls are poised to be the long-term winners of the trade.

Giddey is set to become a restricted free agent this offseason, meaning the Bulls have the right to match an offer sheet if he signs one with another team.

Chicago has hovered around the .500 mark and missed the playoffs for three straight years, but even if it attempts to rebuild this offseason, re-signing Giddey is an obvious move.

Giddey could be the face of the franchise for years to come, and he is a versatile player around which an exciting and competitive team can likely be built.