Fred VanVleet Reportedly Expected to Return to Rockets on Option or New Contract
The Houston Rockets are expected to bring back Fred VanVleet one way or another, according to The Athletic's Kelly Iko.
The Rockets will likely either pick up VanVleet's $44.9 million club option or negotiate "a new deal at a lower, team-friendly salary," according to Iko.
"The NBA champion has expressed his desire to stay, citing a stable team environment," Iko wrote. "Because of this, the Rockets, who have a good working relationship with VanVleet’s representatives (Rich Paul and Andy Miller), envision him in their immediate future."
VanVleet averaged 14.1 points, 5.6 assists and 3.7 rebounds per game through 60 starts last season while earning $42.8 million, per Spotrac.
That points-per-game average ranked third on the team behind Jalen Green and Alperen Şengün as VanVleet helped the Rockets go from 22 to 52 wins within two seasons.
Head coach Ime Udoka said when asked about VanVleet after the Rockets' seven-game first-round elimination by the Golden State Warriors that he believed "both sides want to be here and want him here."
"He's a huge part of our growth. Love everything he's done," Udoka told reporters. "Perfect combination of on-ball, off-ball for our guards and our young guys to grow. Obviously, love to have him back, and I think the feeling's mutual."
The Rockets originally had until May 9 to decide on VanVleet's 2025-26 option, but ESPN's Shams Charania reported two days before the deadline that the team had decided to push back the agreed-upon date to June 29.
"This gives both sides additional time to navigate exercising the option versus completing a longer term deal," Charania wrote.
NBA insider Jake Fischer reported May 9 for the Stein Line that there is a "strong expectation" VanVleet will return to the Rockets for another season, and that the "more likely scenario" involves a multi-year extension at a more luxury tax-friendly salary.
Fischer noted, however, that the Rockets' choice to delay the option decision until the day before free agency opens "does leave open the possibility that the Rockets could include VanVleet’s monster 2025-26 salary in a significant trade if such a deal materialized around the draft.”
Any potential major deal around the draft could involve the franchise's No. 10 pick. Yahoo Sports' Kevin O'Connor recently reported that the Rockets are expected to "to look into trading this pick, whether it’s a trade way up, a trade out for a star or a trade out for a group of future picks."
In case of a hypothetical trade out for a star, the Rockets would potentially need to use VanVleet's team option and send him the other way in order to fit in salary. According to Iko, however, the team is instead expected to keep VanVleet around to play his age-32 season in Houston.
