As the Houston Rockets enter the 2025-26 NBA season, their offseason acquisition of superstar Kevin Durant clearly indicates that their sights are set one one singular goal: bringing a championship back to H-Town for the first time since 1995.
Yet, the offseason ACL tear that starting point guard Fred VanVleet sustained has the potential to destroy these hopes, and, now, the team is put in the painful position of perhaps needing VanVleet to waive his no-trade clause in order to put together a contending roster.
As it stands, Houston has almost not players available to trade until December 15 as a result of restrictions stemming from their offseason acquisitions, and, if their internal solutions do not work out at point guard, VanVleet's $25 million salary could sadly become their most valuable trade piece.