After pulling off the biggest trade of the 2025 NBA offseason, the Houston Rockets were predicted to be a top title contender in the West, led by Kevin Durant and their strong supporting cast. But most recently, news that Fred VanVleet tore his ACL puts their entire 2025-26 season in question, now in desperate need of a point guard with veteran experience.
While the Rockets have a few options to replace VanVleet with a playmaking guard, multiple players with the relative experience remain unsigned free agents. According to an article by Bleacher Report on potential additions for Houston, Russell Westbrook could be a target.
“The Rockets could bring Westbrook back to Houston and either grant him the starting job or allow Reed Sheppard to assume that role while having a reliable backup,” Andrew Peters wrote. “Not to mention, signing with the Rockets would give Westbrook and Durant another chance to go for a championship.”
Westbrook averaged 13.3 points, 6.1 assists, and 4.9 rebounds for the Denver Nuggets last season. He has been linked to the Sacramento Kings throughout the offseason, but could be a worthy replacement for VanVleet on the Rockets.
Houston Needs A Point Guard
VanVleet has been an impactful player in Houston over the past two years. The former Finals winner played a big part in their growth under head coach Ime Udoka and alongside All-Star Alperen Sengun.
But now, he expects to miss all of the 2025-26 season. Houston has Reed Sheppard and Aaron Holiday, and could give Amen Thompson a larger playmaking role, but regardless, all three lack the experience of a player like VanVleet.
Replacing the veteran point guard won’t be easy, but a player like Westbrook has that same experience and knows what it is like to play alongside Durant. As seen over the past few years, he won’t be the team’s top scorer, or even top playmaker for that matter, but could come in off the bench as a sparkplug for the second unit.
Aside from Westbrook, the Rockets could also target a player like Ben Simmons as a new ball handler. Like the 2017 NBA MVP, he remains unsigned, and though far from his peak, could still be impactful with Houston’s roster.
If it’s not Westbrook or Simmons, the options start to dwindle after that. The Golden State Warriors are expected to sign many of the other remaining free agents, and besides them, the only other names that could replace VanVleet would be Monte Morris or Cam Payne, neither of whom is a primary point guard.
If the Rockets do want to make a move, it will require some roster reconstruction.
“Barring a trade, Houston cannot fill their one open roster spot with a free agent because they are $1.25 million below the first apron, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks,” Shams Charania wrote, meaning Sheppard and Holiday will likely be its playmaking options to start the season.
Durant-led Rockets Looking Forward
Regardless of whether Houston finds a new point guard or not, VanVleet’s injury has serious implications for their first season with Durant. The Rockets were already sliding by with minimal point guard depth, but it might not spell complete disaster for the newly redeveloped team.
“The Rockets have good depth, but point guard is where they are thin, with no proven floor general behind VanVleet,“ Jason Jones wrote for The Athletic. “Houston, however, shouldn’t fall off completely. The Rockets still have a playoff-caliber roster and a good coach in Ime Udoka. But they’re limited in what they can do to replace VanVleet for now.”
So until Houston finds a replacement, they’ll go forward with Sheppard and Holiday at point guard, and hope their new additions can pick up the pieces VanVleet’s absence will leave behind.
Durant will likely take on a bigger playmaking role until the Rockets can find a consistent player to lead the offense. He, along with Sengun, Thompson, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Tari Eason, will likely spread the wealth in hopes of using a point-guard-by-committee system to keep the ball moving in Houston.
In an article by Sports Illustrated, multiple potential Rockets lineups were outlined with VanVleet sidelined, all of which included either Durant or Thompson taking a bigger on-ball role.
“The double-big lineup with Thompson running point is likely what we’re going to see. This means Houston will have a very good second unit, featuring Eason, Sheppard, and Finney-Smith,” Anthony Duckett wrote. “This is still a playoff roster. The trio of Thompson, Durant, and Sengun was just ranked as the league’s fourth-best Big Three.”
Though they have replacements on their roster and in free agency, Houston will likely feel the impact of VanVleet’s injury until he returns healthy.