It was well-known for several weeks that the Houston Rockets were ready to spend big in free agency. Well, they landed one of the biggest fishes on this year’s market.
Per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, ex-Toronto Raptors star guard Fred VanVleet has signed a three-year contract with Houston worth $130 million. It was the first maximum contract signed by a free agent this summer, Woj noted.
It was well-known for several weeks that the Houston Rockets were ready to spend big in free agency. Well, they landed one of the biggest fishes on this year’s market.
Earlier this month, VanVleet declined his 2023-24 player option of $22.8 million. VanVleet knew his market, in a not-so-great free agent class, would be huge. And now he’ll get $43.3 million in average annual value on his new pact with the Rockets.
Houston began a rebuild when they traded franchise star James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets early in the 2020-21 season. They now have VanVleet joining a promising young core that features Jalen Green, Kevin Porter Jr. and 2023 fourth overall pick Amen Thompson.
VanVleet was a key piece of the Raptors’ squad that won the NBA Championship in 2018-19. The one-time All-Star averaged 19.3 points per game for the Raptors last season.
