As the Rockets revive their iconic "ketchup and mustard" look, Fred VanVleet’s glaring absence from the promotional rollout sparks questions about the veteran’s future in Houston.
Houston Rockets fans across the globe rejoiced when we got teasers of a possible new set of uniforms for the team. Nothing wrong with the old ones, but changes can be exciting.
Especially when they roll out organizational legends like Rudy T and Calvin Murphy, you know it’s going to be special. That’s exactly what we got with the “ketchup and mustard” rebrand.
From multiple promotional videos hinting at the throwbacks, to shots of current players on the roster actually wearing the new fits, there was obviously a lot of work put into this.
That made me question how Fred VanVleet could possibly be missing from these clips. I don’t want to read too much into it because it could be a very simple explanation, but it is still a little odd.
Despite any possible turmoil and speculation of trading Kevin Durant, he still made his appearance in the new uniforms.
Tari Eason is set to hit restricted free agency in a matter of weeks, meaning he could very well be on another team next year. He’s not even under contract, but he was still in the promos.
We also saw Alperen Şengün, Amen Thompson, Reed Sheppard, and Jabari Smith Jr. in the videos, as one might expect. Just strangely no FVV, who you would assume was a key piece of the team moving forward.
He’s looked fine on the sidelines for quite some time, so it’s hard to imagine his ACL injury was preventing him from a photoshoot.
His omission could mean nothing, or it could’ve happened for a significant reason. Only time will tell, but his player option can give us some indication, as covered on Roundtable.
