Fred VanVleet Restructure: Houston, We Have A Payroll Problem

53-29 Knicks is beating the Spurs in the Finals.

52-30 Rockets GM Stone had already gave up the season before trade deadline.

 

Stone keeps working his magic of DESTROYING the Rockets

 

The Rockets are not an outlier - they just decided to target players that are old and either have a lot of wear and tear or histories of injuries.

Embiid, AD and Kawhi all are injury prone. A team that decides to take them on has to deal with it.

 

And so..... you think they selected all these players because they thought they were the best option? Or were they thought best option to keep cap flexibility and not getting any cap penalties while trying to build out a roster around a super young core?

Kinda like FVV missing 20/30 games vs missing an entire season.... Makes a bit of difference.

And again.... FVV blowing out ACL in the offseason was not an indication of high mileage or injury prone, but just bad luck.

 

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/73...fseason-free-agency-2026-player-team-options/

Fred VanVleet, PG, Houston (PO, $25,000,000)

It’s hard to put a value on VanVleet after he missed last season with a torn ACL. On the other hand, it’s easy to put a value on his meaning to the Rockets, after their point guard-less squad meandered aimlessly through possession after possession last season. Keeping him is likely a priority; BORD$ values the 32-year-old at $17.5 million, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Houston go higher to lock up his services as both a floor general and leader. For instance, three years at $70 million would give the Rockets a few million extra in wiggle room to fight the apron this year while still securing future dollars for VanVleet.

Prediction: Opts out and re-signs

 

@No Worries Prediction: Opts out and is set free ... free as a bird and this bird you cannot change ...

ETA:
Why in the world would any team sign FVV to anything more than a one year, show-me contract? If FVV has lost a step after his ACL injury, he realistically is out of the NBA.