The Rockets are declining Fred VanVleet‘s $44.9MM team option and will instead re-sign him on a two-year, $50MM deal, reports Shams Charania of ESPN. The second season will be a player option, Charania adds.
According to Kelly Iko of The Athletic (Twitter link), VanVleet’s new deal will have a flat structure, paying him $25MM next season, with his option also worth $25MM.
During his 60 healthy games for Houston in 2024/25, the Wichita State alum averaged 14.1 PPG, 5.6 APG, and 3.7 RPG, with a .378/.345/.810 shooting line that was well below his career average.
The 2023 offseason veteran additions of VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, Jeff Green and head coach Ime Udoka proved to be the kind of steadying forces needed to take a talented young team to the next level. During VanVleet’s first season in town, Houston finished with a solid 41-41 season and barely missed the postseason in a deep Western Conference.
Last year, the Rockets’ youth movement exploded. Houston finished with the West’s No. 2 record, 52-30, and almost outlasted the Warriors in a hard-fought first round playoff loss.
Houston has now reconfigured its core by bringing in 15-time All-Star forward Kevin Durant in a blockbuster pre-draft trade, which cost the team Brooks, the No. 10 pick in this year’s draft, young guard Jalen Green, and five second-round picks.
Retaining VanVleet on a cheaper deal with give the Rockets more room to maneuver this summer, as the club hopes to become a true title contender in 2025/26.
To wit, cap expert Yossi Gozlan of Third Apron tweets that Houston now projects to be comfortably below the league’s first tax apron and luxury tax line. Keith Smith of Spotrac reports (via Twitter) that the new agreement will give the Rockets access to the $14.1MM non-taxpayer’s mid-level exception this year, though using all of the MLE would push the team back above the tax threshold.
While VanVleet’s new contract is a short-term agreement, Charania hears from sources that both sides would like their partnership to ultimately last longer than just the next two years.
50 mm with a player option in 2026-27, Bad Deal for Rockets
Why?
Without VanVleet next summer, Rockets won’t win the West next year.
2026 market contract
Smith
Eason
2027
Thompson market contract
i’d give VanVleet 3-year $84 M with team option at 3rd year
Considering you said multiple times that Houston would have to give up Jalen Green, Jabari Smith, Brooks, and 2 first round picks for KD, I will trust the Rockets judgement better than yours.
This was What I said a few weeks ago
Equal value is
KD = Green + Smith + Landale + 10th pick
I guess they are not allowed to trade Landale
This bot knows how to lie lol
Yeah, you said like 10 different things with 10 different ranges, it’s a good way to make sure you’re always correct.
And always wrong
Is the total deal worth $50 million? I guess they are working to keep the band together.
2 years 50 mil is a lot different then his previous 40 mil aav he might be taking a pay cut in order to win a championship
The people who should be taking a pay cut are Durant because he’s already made hundreds of millions from nba salary and other ventures but for some reason he has to keep taking the max
At least LeBron was willing to take pay cuts
Rockets are very happy today. A little surprised that FVV didn’t at least try the FA market so he must love playing in Houston.
Brooklyn ain’t signing him, and no one else has cap room. He’d have to settle for the MLE.
Who’s paying him more than $25 mil this year? Brooklyn? No one else has cap space, and he can still become an FA next offseason. Rockets did him a huge solid by giving him 2 years of max money when he was a $30 mil/year player. And anyways, he didn’t have a ton of leverage as he had a team option for this season, not a player option. Good deal for both sides.
Right, and next year there will be more teams with cap space so he might have a better chance to play hard ball if he wants. Take the 25mil, see how things work with KD then go from there.
His scoring has gone down each of the past 3 seasons and he’s 5’10.
He wasn’t getting more than what he got.
Thats a big break JVV is giving them. Let’s face it they overpaid to sign him at first. And he was owed 44 mill this yr on a team option. Considering they traded for KD. And his big play in playoffs. Rockets need him more than he needs them …. Wow
Thats a Brunson move there. Took one for the team. He must believe in KD on this team. Good for him.
Imo he could of gotten three yrs at 30 mill. He’s a better man than me. It’s a solid move for Rockets.
JVV = JVG + FVV? Two shrimps lol
He didn’t take anything for the team. He didn’t have a choice
His market value alone is more than that. I huess you missed the playoffs ……
It might be but who had $30M In cap to pay him? Anybody with that cap, if anyone had it, was not giving it to him
That’s true …. Nets, Jazz, a few. Would have had to be a sign n trade. He can help Mavs, Hornets, Heat, Pacers, Sixers, Im sure there are more. At 30 mill. The point is he repaid Rockets for signing him to big contract….. playoffs was no fluke.
There’s no repeater tax concern for Houston. They haven’t paid the tax during their recent rebuild.
Sillivan is a poorly-programmed bot
My mind is blown how Sillivan and KnickerbockerAi are even allowed to post here. Both are clear bots designed to troll.
At Davey not as surprised as we all are that you’re allowed to post on here.
I’m impressed by VanVleet giving up his player option of $44.9M to allow the Rockets to add to their already strong core.
That was a typo in the article. It was a team option that HOU declined.
Thanks. That makes this deal much clearer.
Good deal for HOU. FVV perhaps realizes he got a rich deal on the way in, and wanted to be accommodative this time around for what will likely amount to a 1 year deal. Perhaps he’s been told he’ll get better when he opts out after next season. Even so, it’s only 50 mm guaranteed under a contract signed at age 31 (i.e., possibly his last leveraged deal).
Kinda what I figured a little overpay bc no one was offering him more than 2/40 in a S&T
One of the most overrated players in recent memory.
5’10 without shoes.
Overrated? The guys been a good player most his career and was a massive part of Toronto’s title run. Dude worked his tail off to even be here.
Again, I agree, and also, this is a BAD signing by Houston, basically sealing their fate as a first round exit team. GSW clears them last year, and still does, even with no moves. The Rockets are such a pathetic franchise, period.
Davey, you really are miserable huh?
FankenStein will be crying all year now that KD gave him the finger. He’s already worn out 50 Curry dolls lol …,
🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡🤡
Davey J
June 25, 2025
My mind is blown how Sillivan and KnickerbockerAi are even allowed to post here. Both are clear bots designed to troll.
———-/——————////////
Sillyman has more sense. Than you will ever have Fankenstein ….. he’s never disrespected or trolled anyone. Yet you troll the one who owns you constantly. Since we all know who the real BALLER is ……. You are overdue for a new brain lol ……,
Go dig one up …….