Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet has reportedly suffered a torn right ACL, per multiple reports. Yahoo Sports’ Kelly Iko reports that VanVleet suffered the injury during a team minicamp in the Bahamas.
Per Iko, VanVleet underwent successful surgery on his ACL on Thursday. He will likely miss most, if not all, of the 2025-26 season.
VanVleet, a 31-year-old vet set to enter his 10th season in the league, averaged 14.1 points, 3.7 rebounds and 5.6 assists last season across 60 games. He led the Rockets in assists and steals per game, while lending a level of leadership in the locker room.
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He was also elected as NBA Players Association president in July, and will serve a four-year term.
It’s a brutal blow for the Rockets, who lose their starting point guard before the season even starts. VanVleet signed a two-year, $50 million deal to stay with the team this offseason, and was set to be another veteran starter, alongside the recently acquired Kevin Durant, on a young Houston team.
With VanVleet out, Houston will likely need Reed Sheppard and Amen Thompson — two young, up-and-coming stars — to step into the starting lineup, while elevating bench players like Aaron Holiday or Jabari Smith Jr. Per Sportrac’s Keith Smith, the Rockets don’t have enough cap room to sign a player at this point, but may be able to add a late-season piece in January.