May 7: As expected, the Rockets and VanVleet have agreed to move back the decision deadline for his team option, reports Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link). The new decision date for Houston will be the league-wide deadline, June 29.
May 6: The Rockets are looking to buy more time to decide what to do with Fred VanVleet‘s contract. They hold a $44.89MM club option on VanVleet’s contract for next season and a decision is currently due on Friday, Spotrac contributor Keith Smith tweets.
According to NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer (Twitter link), Houston’s management is currently in discussions with VanVleet’s representatives to delay that decision until the end of June, just prior to free agency.
The default league-wide deadline for option decisions is June 29, but a player and team can set an earlier deadline by including that language in their contract agreement. That was the case with VanVleet’s deal, which calls for a decision five days after Houston’s season ends.
Amending the deadline would give the Rockets more time to weigh their options and perhaps increase VanVleet’s chances of receiving that $44.9MM salary next season, assuming the team would otherwise decline the option this Friday.
Following the Rockets’ elimination from the playoffs on Sunday, VanVleet and the Rockets expressed mutual interest in continuing their relationship.
“Obviously, I put my heart and soul into this and this is where I want to be,” VanVleet said. “It’s definitely a family situation. I’ve got a lot of love for our coaching staff and (general manager) Rafael (Stone) and the Fertitta family and just what we set out to do when I had my free agent meeting two years ago and we’re on that track. It was never a short-term vision — it was a long-term goal. We’re on track, we’re on schedule.”
However, VanVleet’s salary number is a huge hit on the books for a team looking to improve the roster after getting bounced in the opening round of the Western Conference playoffs by Golden State. The Rockets could decline the option, then negotiate a multiyear deal at a lesser salary. If Houston declines the option, VanVleet would be an unrestricted free agent but the Rockets would hold his Early Bird rights.
Alternatively, if the Rockets decide they’re comfortable with that $44.9MM cap charge next season, they could also exercise the option and explore a more team-friendly extension that begins in ’26/27.
Or they are considering trading for a high salary superstar and want to use his contract to match. That is the only way he is getting $45M next year.
What is the actual bi-law rule concerning this situation on the books? Any info on stipulations ect…
Do they agree on a later date that becomes contractual on paper? …cant imagine they are able to just prolong this deeep into the summer..
Maybe they are waiting to see where land in the draft lottery. They are currently at #9.
The Houston Rockets must decide on Fred VanVleet’s team option by the end of June. Originally, the deadline was this week, but the team is reportedly in discussions to move it to late June. This option is for $44.9 million and will be a crucial part of Houston’s offseason planning, according to Bleacher Report.
It’s times like these you wonder who is holding the cards…who is “setting the narrative”…Silver has been there all along. I think he’s doing a great job.
Uhh…What narrative?
No restrictions, in theory. But obviously players aren’t going to agree to a date much after June 30th (at least not at this point), with FA status otherwise starting on July 1st. FVV’s option date is very early.
JVV had a good series vs Warriors. He didn’t have a good season. He is not worth 44 mill to this team imo. I would sign him for less for three more yrs. Or I just go and sign Giddey. Decline the option. You can give Giddey a big first yr on three yr contract. Rockets have a great pick coming. Can draft a PG or Queen if he is there. Or even a shooter. Rockets are sitting pretty right now. What I would do is explore the market for Green….
They won’t have cap room to sign Giddey. The Bulls want to keep Giddey. 1+ an option for FVV. He can decline it after next season when they have full Bird Rights.
@Knicker I am completely with you on exploring the market. To me, he is a 6th man and shouldn’t be a starting 5. He wasn’t that great during the season and definitely there in body but absent on the court in the postseason. That guy plays well sparingly and then goes 3-20 with 12 points next 3 games. It’s a hit and miss
Sign and trade… they want Harden back
$45 million for a 15 ppg guy with a .483 eFG% and little else. I’ll echo everyone else when I say that they only do this if they’re trying to trade him. Maybe try to bring him back at a greatly reduced rate but $45 million is about twice what he deserves.
It is the final year of 3 year/$128 million contract he signed in 2023.
Article above says club option.
Just pointing out this year’s stats are not a big drop off from when he originally signed his contract. The Rockets were comfortable with $45 million. His new contract will probably be at a reduced rate. But, probably not half of what he originally signed for.
Rockets team salary is 141 mill with FVV contract. They can decline it. Then that leaves them at less than 100 mill. Also have a 5 mill opton on Holiday. So by declining both contracts. It puts them at 92 million team salary. So how is it they can’t sign Giddey …….. My math tells me they can give him 35 mill first year. Then 60 mill for two more years (3 yr) contract. Since he is a FA to Rockets. Bulls can’t take 35 mill on their books first year.
link to hoopshype.com
Giddey’s Cap Hold:
Giddey’s restricted free agency cap hold is $25,057,101.
Cap
@KnickerbockerAl Your math is off re: the Rockets salary. They have about $131MM in guaranteed money (Green, Sengun, Brooks, Smith, Sheppard, Thompson, Eason, Whitmore), another $10MMish in non-guaranteed money (Landale, Nate Williams), and then the $44.9MM team option for VanVleet (plus a $4.9MM option for Holiday)
So even if they let VanVleet, Holiday, Landale, and Williams go (along with FAs like Adams), their cap space would be relatively limited — especially after accounting for the cap hold for the first-round pick.
Not according to HoopsHype ……
JVV – 44.8 team option
Holiday – 4.9 mill team option
Both can be declined ……..
Adams, Tate, Green, Springer, Zeller all come off books. All are FAs.
Only contracts they have in books according to HoopsHype salary page is ….
Jalen Green – 33.3 mill
Alperen Sengun – 33.9 mill
Dillon Brooks – 22.1 mill
Jabari Smith – 12.3 mill
Amen Thompson – 9.7 mill
Reed Sgeperd – 10.6 mill
Jock Landale – 4.9 mill
Tari Eason – 5.6 mill
Cam Whitmore – 3.5 mill
Jeenathan Williams – 2.2 mill
This adds up to 137.9 mill. I used a calculator this time. I believe they can sign Giddey . Please go look it up. Not a cap guy. But I can do the math ..
link to hoopshype.com
Here’s the math, based on the assumption that the cap goes up by 10% and Houston doesn’t move up or down in the draft lottery:
Eight players on guaranteed contracts: $131,262,745
Cap hold for the No. 9 overall pick: $6,332,520
Three rookie minimum incomplete roster charges: $3,818,610
Cap room left (based on $154,647,000 cap): $13,233,125
Again, that’s without VanVleet, Holiday, Adams, etc. To create meaningful cap room, they’d need to shed more salaries. Don’t see them going that route.
Thank you sir. Hear you loud and clear…….
I guess it would have to be a sign n trade with Bulls. If they didn’t want to pay Giddey.
JVV is too expensive…. has to be a move there.
With Giddey and VanFleet, a third party would be needed to even out the trade. 20 million dollars difference between VanFleet and Giddey contract. VanFleet would go to a third team, with draft picks and Bulls get Jalen Green from Rockets (affordable and gives Bulls cap space) plus 2nd round draft pick. Rockets get Giddey
It is team option. Thats my point.
Offer him $15m. Then dump Alpert “Not Jokic” Sengun, Green and Ime and you might have a team that doesn’t choke come playoffs.
Fred was the only player to step up in the playoffs. Put the money aside they have a talented team also they did not matchup with the Warriors small ball. If the seedings were different both series could have had opposite outputs if the Rockets had played Minnesota wild Lakers when I played the Warriors. Lakers might have bullied the Warriors especially since they did not have a center this year. While the rockets could have easily all played Minnesota match up wise.