Rockets’ Fred VanVleet Suffers Torn ACL, Could Miss 2025-26 Season

Houston Rockets star point guard Fred VanVleet has suffered a torn ACL and could potentially miss the entire 2025-26 NBA season, sources told ESPN’s Shams Charania on Monday.

Rockets’ Fred VanVleet To Undergo Surgery On Right Knee

Per Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports, VanVleet suffered the right knee injury at an unofficial team minicamp in the Bahamas. The one-time All-Star and 2019 NBA champion will undergo surgery this week, Iko adds.

VanVleet, 31, joined the Rockets during the 2023 offseason on a three-year, $150 million contract. The undrafted guard helped Houston improve from 22 wins to 41 in his first year.

The Rockets then won 52 games last season to grab the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, ending a four-year postseason drought. Houston, however, was eliminated by the Golden State Warriors in Game 7 of their first-round playoff series.

Just in: Houston Rockets’ Fred VanVleet has suffered a torn ACL, sources tell ESPN. A devastating, potentially season-ending loss for the Rockets with their starting point guard and leader. pic.twitter.com/Qhf0V58DwR

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 22, 2025

In 60 games (all starts) with the Rockets last season, VanVleet averaged 14.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.6 steals, and 35.2 minutes per contest while shooting 37.8% from the field and 34.5% from 3-point territory.

His point average in 2024-25 was his lowest in a season since 2018-19, but he did log 18.7 points per game in the playoffs on 43% shooting from the floor and 43.5% from deep.

Houston also declined VanVleet’s $44.9 million team option for next season back in June. The Wichita State product then inked a two-year, $50 million extension, with the deal including a player option in 2026-27.

With this latest news, Aaron Holiday could see more playing time in the backcourt rotation.

VanVleet Would Have Played With Kevin Durant

If not for the injury, VanVleet would have played alongside future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant this season. Houston acquired the two-time Finals MVP from the Phoenix Suns as part of a historic seven-team trade on July 6.

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported in August that Durant and the Rockets have had conversations about a new contract extension this summer, but the two sides have yet to reach an agreement.

“The Rockets and Durant have had discussions about a new contract and there is belief they will come to terms, sources said, but they’ve yet to come to an agreement,” Windhorst wrote.

“Durant, like [LeBron] James, is no longer viewed as a centerpiece, as Houston builds around a young core of players it acquired through the draft.”

Durant, who turns 37 on Sept. 29, is set to earn $54.7 million in the upcoming 2025-26 campaign, the final season of a four-year deal worth $194.21 million that he signed as a member of the Brooklyn Nets in 2021.

ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reported last month that if Houston does decide to extend Durant this offseason, it likely won’t be a two-year, $122 million maximum contract extension.