Rocket stays! VanVleet Exercises $25 Million Player Option, Will Join Durant and Sengun in Title Pursuit Next Season

On June 29 Beijing time, per Shams' report, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul informed ESPN that Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet will pick up his $25 million player option for the 2026-27 season. In the upcoming season, he will join forces with Durant and Sengun to guide the Rockets toward an NBA title.

Born on February 25, 1994, in Illinois, USA, VanVleet stands 1.83 meters tall and plays point guard. He currently suits up for the Houston Rockets and is one of the NBA's most iconic undrafted success stories. He attended Wichita State University, leading the team to four NCAA tournament appearances in four years, winning conference Player of the Year twice, and showcasing solid three-point shooting and playmaking. However, due to his size and athletic limitations, he went undrafted in 2016, earning only a low-cost partially guaranteed contract from the Raptors after a strong summer league performance.

The 2019 playoffs marked a turning point in his career. In the Eastern Conference Finals against the Bucks, he scored 21 points on 7-of-9 three-point shooting in a pivotal Game 5. Then, in Game 6 of the Finals, he dropped 22 points while playing through a finger injury, hitting crucial three-pointers to defeat the Warriors and help the Raptors secure their first-ever championship, even receiving a Finals MVP vote.

After Kawhi Leonard's departure and Kyle Lowry's aging, VanVleet became the Raptors' starting point guard, with his numbers exploding. He consistently averaged around 18 points, 7 assists, and 1.5 steals per game, with an assist-to-turnover ratio among the league's best, combining elite perimeter defense with steady three-point shooting. In 2022, he was named an All-Star, becoming the fourth undrafted player in history to earn that honor. That same season, he averaged 20.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 6.7 assists, establishing himself as a top-tier point guard. In the 2023 offseason, VanVleet signed a three-year, $130 million max contract with the Rockets, the largest deal ever for an undrafted player, officially making him a member of the "hundred-million-dollar club."

After arriving in Houston, he took on the role of the team's backcourt facilitator. In the 2023-24 season, he averaged 8.1 assists per game, ranking seventh in the league, orchestrating the offense for the young core and helping Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun develop. Defensively, he continued to generate steals through his physicality and anticipation, forming a reliable backcourt presence. Last season, VanVleet suffered a serious injury that ended his campaign.

Looking at his career, VanVleet lacks explosive athleticism but has relied on extreme discipline, basketball IQ, and clutch performance to rise from the bottom. From a two-way contract player to a championship contributor, All-Star, and max-contract cornerstone, he has written an inspiring story of an undersized undrafted player, proving that will and skill can overcome physical limitations on the basketball court.