By declining his player option for a long-term extension, Fred VanVleet could secure his financial future while granting Houston the flexibility to navigate a tight salary cap.
The Houston Rockets aren’t completely hamstrung by their salary cap restrictions this summer, but they are a bit limited. This is, of course, making a couple of assumptions about the offseason.
The first of which being that Tari Eason gets a contract extension, as seen in my cap breakdown on Roundtable. The other major salary piece this summer has to do with Fred VanVleet.
While it almost seems to be a foregone conclusion that he’ll accept his $25 million player option, a different outcome could potentially work for both Freddy and the Rockets.
Rather than becoming a free agent in the summer of 2027, he could decline this year and sign for a lower annual, but longer term contract.
Maybe two years for $40 million total? Saving the team $5 million each summer, but guaranteeing himself an extra $15 million in career earnings.
As he just saw, your body can fail you at any time, so it’s not promised that he’d be healthy for free agency next year. Why not take the guaranteed money?
Small guards have been getting phased out of the league and the 2027 free agent class is shaping up to be star studded. Maybe he shouldn’t test his luck.
Considering it would also give Houston a little bit more flexibility for roster building, I truly think a decline and re-sign might be the perfect option for both sides.
