The Houston Rockets are expected to be without Fred VanVleet for the upcoming season. VanVleet suffered a torn ACL during an offseason workout in the Bahamas, as reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania on Monday.
While the Rockets can rely on Amen Thompson, Reed Sheppard and Aaron Holiday to fill in the role of FVV, players such as Russell Westbrook and Ben Simmons have been mentioned by Andrew Peters of Bleacher Report as free agent alternatives.
However, it’s not that simple, according to ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel. He explained on X that the Rockets are unable to sign a player to a veteran’s minimum because of salary cap restrictions. They can still apply for a disabled player exception, but it won’t give them the leeway to bring in a new player.
“Once again, the Rockets can’t sign ANY player to a vet minimum with the $1.2M they have until the first apron hard cap. Houston would need to find a way to clear a salary first, and then they would have enough for a min. Only KD, Sengun, Smith, Thompson, Sheppard, and Eason can be traded right now,” Siegel tweeted.
All players mentioned by Siegel, except Sheppard, are expected to have a big role for the Rockets this upcoming season. Due to FVV’s injury and cap restrictions, the team will have to rely on Sheppard, who didn’t get a lot of playing time as a rookie.
Houston Rockets Will Have More Flexibility by January 15
The Houston Rockets will get more flexibility with their current roster by January 15, when certain players are eligible to get traded. Rockets Wire’s Ben Dubose listed Fred VanVleet, Steven Adams, Dorian Finney-Smith and Clint Capela as potential trade candidates.
Sam Quinn of CBS Sports reminded that VanVleet has an implicit no-trade clause due to signing a one-year contract with a player option. FVV can waive it if he wants, but it will likely depend on how the season goes.
“Now, depending on how the season goes, it might make more sense for him to move anyway. If Sheppard and Thompson step up in his absence, he might prefer to go somewhere else and start rather than return to a bench role for the 2026-27 season. But Houston can’t just dump him freely,” Quinn wrote on September 22.
VanVleet’s injury is a tough blow for the Rockets, especially after the offseason they had. They acquired Kevin Durant from the Phoenix Suns and signed key free agents to bolster their depth.
Amen Thompson Likely to Become Houston’s Starting Point Guard
The Houston Rockets’ offense doesn’t necessarily revolve around Fred VanVleet, but he was an important cog for coach Ime Udoka. Alperen Sengun is coming off a fantastic EuroBasket, while Kevin Durant still has one of the best offenses in the NBA.
But it could be Amen Thompson’s time to shine, as per Sam Quinn.
“He lacks VanVleet’s steady veteran hand, but that’s an easier weakness to overcome when you can just toss the ball over to Kevin Durant when the defense is showing you something you can’t immediately dissect. He has the tools,” Quinn wrote.
Thompson also doesn’t have FVV’s shooting, but pairing him with Reed Sheppard could further open up their offense. Sheppard’s still unproven in the NBA, though he has looked good in some of the games he was given minutes last season.