Houston wants to make a run next season at the franchise’s first title since “This is how we do it” was still a top-10 song, but that won’t happen without Fred VanVleet as a steady hand at the point.
Which is why the Rockets agreed to a new two-year contract with VanVleet. The Rockets are declining VanVleet’s $44.9 million player option for next season and will re-sign him on a two-year, $50 million contract, a story broken by Shams Charania of ESPN.
This is a team-friendly deal for the Rockets that gets them below the luxury tax line, helping them avoid the repeater tax. It also opens up the full $14.1 million mid-level exception to add more talent to the roster. For VanVleet, it’s more total money and an extra year of security.
VanVleet averaged 14.1 points and 5.6 assists per game, and while he shot 34.5% from 3-point range, he was inconsistent and had a 51.5 true shooting percentage, well below the league average. However, he fit in well with one of the best defenses in the league on the other end of the court.
Houston made its bold offseason move trading for Kevin Durant, it is all in on a championship but it will need the steady hand of VanVleet at the control of the offense. The Rockets also need him (and Durant) to stay healthy. VanVleet missed 22 games last season.
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