Fred VanVleet and the Houston Rockets have agreed to push back the deadline date on his $44.9 million team option, according to ESPN. The deadline, which was originally May 9, is now June 29.
VanVleet signed a three-year, $128.5 million contract with Houston in 2023, with a team option on the final season. All signs suggest that he will be back in 2025-26, but it’s not clear what will happen with the option. The Rockets could simply pick it up, or they could decline it and sign him to a longer deal, presumably with a lower starting salary. The latter route would give them more financial wiggle room this summer.
At his season-ending press conference Tuesday, Houston general manager Rafael Stone declined to comment directly on VanVleet’s contractual situation. He did, however, project confidence that VanVleet would return.
“He’s been the person and the player that we hoped we were getting, and I’m very optimistic that he’ll be with us for the foreseeable future,” Stone told reporters.
VanVleet also declined to address the specifics of his contract, but, after the Rockets lost Game 7 of their first-round series against the Golden State Warriors, he made it clear that he anticipates sticking around.
“Obviously I put my heart and soul into this, and this is where I want to be and it’s definitely a family situation,” VanVleet told reporters. “I got a lot of love for our coaching staff and Rafael 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, and it was never a short-term vision. It was a long-term goal.”
Houston coach Ime Udoka told reporters this week that the team would “love to have him back” and praised VanVleet’s leadership.
“From Day 1, I talked about the importance of him at the point guard position kind of leading us in a lot of ways and allowing guys to grow at the same time,” Udoka said. “And understanding what he walked into, what he signed with, and he’s a huge part of our growth in general. Love everything he’s done. Perfect combination of on-ball, off-ball for our guards and our young guys to grow.”
VanVleet’s contract is one of many variables in play for Stone’s front office this summer. The Rockets are still a relatively young team, but, with extensions for Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green kicking in, they no longer have a ton of financial flexibility. By June 29, they will also have to make decisions about Aaron Holiday’s $4.9 million team option and Jock Landale’s non-guaranteed $8 million salary.
