On Tuesday, the Houston Rockets suffered some devastating injury news when Fred VanVleet went down with a torn ACL injury that could sideline him for the entirety of the upcoming 2025-26 NBA season. The news, initially reported by Shams Charania of ESPN, put a major dent in the hopes of a Rockets team that is looking to make some real noise in the wake of their trade for Kevin Durant.
Once word of the injury spread, fans were quick to speculate on what would come next for the Rockets, with one asking Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports whether or not a trade could be on the horizon.
“Yeah — not at this time. I don’t. I think it’s still pretty raw in their minds. I talked to them the other day, and they said, ‘Look, this is the bed that we made. If we’re going into the season, these are the guys we’re going to battle with,'” said Iko, via HoopsHype. “Come December, you might have different conversations. Clint Capela is making a team-friendly salary — you could see something happen with that.”
However, Iko reaffirmed that Houston is happy with what they have in the locker room.
“But outside of that, these are the guys they want in the rotation. Ime Udoka specifically handcrafted this roster, right? His identity is length, versatility, and size on the perimeter. You’ve got Tari Eason, Jabari Smith Jr., Dorian Finney-Smith, Josh Okogie, guys like Jae’Sean Tate — you want to have as many of those guys as possible,” added Iko.
A tough break for the Rockets
The Houston Rockets were projected by many to be a legitimate threat to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference this year, and they very well still could be. However, the VanVleet injury certainly could throw a wrench in those plans, particularly if backup guard Reed Sheppard, who saw sporadic minutes in his rookie season last year, is unable to step into the role effectively.
In any case, the Rockets are slated to kick off their 2025 season on the road against the Oklahoma City Thunder on October 22.
