Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet exercises $25 million player option after missing 2025-26 season

Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet is exercising his $25 million player option for the 2026-27 season. Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul confirmed the decision to ESPN's Shams Charania. VanVleet signed a two-year, $50 million contract with the Rockets last summer.

The 32-year-old and the team had restructured the deal to give Houston short-term financial flexibility while adding security for the player. VanVleet missed the entire 2025-26 season after tearing his right ACL during an unofficial team minicamp in the Bahamas before training camp. He has not played since the 2024-25 season, when he averaged 14.1 points per game, his lowest mark since 2018-19.

In the 2025 playoffs he raised his output to 18.7 points per game during a first-round loss to the Golden State Warriors. He averaged 24.3 points on 56 percent field-goal shooting and 64 percent from three-point range across the final four games of that seven-game series. VanVleet has posted career averages of 14.9 points and 5.7 assists.

The Rockets used a by-committee approach at point guard in his absence and lost in the first round of the 2026 playoffs. Forward Kevin Durant joined the team last summer.