<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/houston-rockets/nba-news-fred-vanvleet-succeeds-cj-mccollum-new-president-nbpa');   ga('set', 'title', 'Fred VanVleet succeeds CJ McCollum as new NBPA President');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Fred-VanVleet-of-the-Houston-Rockets.jpg"><figcaption>Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Fred VanVleet succeeds CJ McCollum as new NBPA President</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-07-12T17:15:31-07:00">July 12th, 5:15pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-07-12T17:15:31-07:00">July 12th, 5:15pm</time><address><a>Abdullah Imran</a>Abdullah Imran works as an Associate Editor for All Sports at ClutchPoints. He’s been a sports fan his entire life and enjoys writing about every sport. He has spent three years in sports journalism and loves analyzing games. In his free time, he very much enjoys binge-watching shows and playing video games.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Houston Rockets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/10-greatest-undrafted-nba-players-who-have-won-an-nba-title-ranked">veteran guard for the Houston Rockets, Fred VanVleet</a>, has officially been <a href="https://x.com/ShamsCharania/status/1944163706063270093" rel="noopener">elected as the new president</a> of the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA), <a href="https://x.com/ShamsCharania/status/1944163706063270093" rel="noopener">succeeding</a> CJ McCollum, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.</p><p>The announcement was made following the NBPA’s annual summer Board of Player Representatives meeting. VanVleet, 31, will serve a four-year term as the union’s leader, representing all NBA players in critical matters ranging from collective bargaining to player rights and league policy.</p><p>VanVleet takes over from McCollum, who served as NBPA president from 2021 to 2025 after a prior three-year tenure as executive vice president (2018–2021). During his presidency, McCollum oversaw the negotiation of a landmark seven-year Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) in 2023. That deal introduced significant changes, including the first and second apron system, ensured labor peace through the 2029–30 season, and included a mutual opt-out clause after the 2028–29 season.</p><p>As president, VanVleet will play a central role if the NBA and NBPA decide to renegotiate the CBA before its conclusion. He will work closely with the union’s executive director and executive committee, featuring long-serving members like Garrett Temple (vice president since 2017), to address critical league matters such as scheduling, revenue sharing, player safety, and discipline.</p><p>“It’s truly an honor to be elected as President of the NBPA by my peers, and I look forward to continuing to advocate for the best interest of all the members,” said VanVleet. “With a deep appreciation for the complexities and challenges players face on all levels of their NBA journeys, I am committed to approaching this role with the passion, dignity, and dedication every player deserves.”</p><p>Fred VanVleet’s <a href="https://www.nbpa.com/news/fred-vanvleet-elected-president-of-the-nbpa" rel="noopener">journey to this role</a> is a great example of what persistence can achieve. After going undrafted in 2016, he joined the Toronto Raptors and became instrumental in their 2019 NBA Championship run. He earned an All-Star selection in 2022 and has since signed multiple contracts that made him the highest-paid undrafted player in league history. His current deal with the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/houston-rockets/rockets-rumors-fred-vanvleet-sign-50-million-contract-extension">Rockets is a two-year, $50 million contract</a> signed in June 2025, following a previously declined $44.9 million team option.</p><p>In the 2024–25 NBA season, VanVleet averaged 14.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 5.6 assists across 60 games. He was one of just seven players listed at 6 feet or shorter to play at least 50 games. Off the court, VanVleet is widely respected for his leadership, professionalism, and advocacy for players’ rights, having previously led Toronto’s G League affiliate Raptors 905 to a championship in 2017.</p><p>McCollum will now serve in an advisory capacity to the NBPA, supporting VanVleet as he transitions into this leadership role. Former presidents of the union include Chris Paul and McCollum, both of whom held significant influence during their terms.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Fred VanVleet succeeds CJ McCollum as new NBPA President

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/houston-rockets/rockets-rumors-fred-vanvleet-sign-50-million-contract-extension');   ga('set', 'title', 'Rockets rumors: Fred VanVleet to sign $50 million contract after Kevin Durant trade');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Rockets-Fred-VanVleet-shooting-vs.jpg"><figcaption>Troy Taormina-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Rockets rumors: Fred VanVleet to sign $50 million contract after Kevin Durant trade</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-25T09:31:21-07:00">June 25th, 9:31am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-25T09:52:01-07:00">June 25th, 9:52am</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joey.mistretta/" rel="facebook">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a Dallas Mavericks beat reporter, Dallas Wings beat reporter and lead MLB editor for ClutchPoints. He is originally from Lake Arrowhead, California. Mistretta graduated from Biola University with a degree in broadcast journalism.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Houston Rockets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Fred VanVleet is likely staying in Houston. According to Shams Charania of ESPN, VanVleet <a href="https://x.com/ShamsCharania/status/1937906900072354157" rel="noopener">intends to sign</a> a $50 million contract for two years with the Houston Rockets.</p><p>“Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet intends to sign a two-year, $50 million contract to stay with the franchise, with a player option in 2026-27, sources tell ESPN. Rockets are declining VanVleet’s $44.9 million team option and land the new deal with Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul,” Charania wrote on X, formerly Twitter.</p><p>The news comes after the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/rockets-news-kevin-durant-trade-suns-jalen-green">Rockets agreed to acquire Kevin Durant in a trade</a> with the Phoenix Suns. Houston enjoyed a strong 2024-25 season, but Durant’s presence on the roster could help them reach the next level. Keeping a veteran such as <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/rockets-rumors-potential-scenario-for-kevin-durant-fred-vanvleet-after-trade">VanVleet will also help the Rockets</a>.</p><p>The 31-year-old guard averaged 14.1 points, 5.6 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 1.6 steals per outing in 2024-25 — his second season in Houston. VanVleet played in Toronto with the Raptors from the 2016-17 campaign through 2022-23 before joining the Rockets in 2023-24. An All-Star and an NBA champion, VanVleet has enjoyed an overall strong career.</p><p>Winning another championship is the goal with Houston, however. The fact that the Rockets included a potential future star in Jalen Green in the trade for Durant speaks to Houston’s win-now mindset.</p><p>There is still plenty of offseason remaining. The Rockets will be a team to closely monitor throughout the summer. It remains to be seen if Houston will strike another massive trade or land a star free agent, but at the very least Houston may try to add more depth around the star players.</p><p>It is important to note that Fred VanVleet’s contract is not official yet. Assuming no unforeseen circumstances occur, though, the veteran guard will sign a two-year, $50 million contract with the Rockets as Houston looks to compete for an NBA championship over the next couple of seasons.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Rockets rumors: Fred VanVleet to sign $50 million contract after Kevin Durant trade

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/houston-rockets/rockets-rumors-potential-scenario-for-kevin-durant-fred-vanvleet-after-trade');   ga('set', 'title', 'Rockets rumors: ‘Potential scenario’ for Kevin Durant, Fred VanVleet after trade');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Kevin-Durant-and-Fred-VanVleet-on-March-30-2025.jpg"><figcaption>Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Rockets rumors: ‘Potential scenario’ for Kevin Durant, Fred VanVleet after trade</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-24T07:21:27-07:00">June 24th, 7:21am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-24T07:21:27-07:00">June 24th, 7:21am</time><address><a>Zachary Weinberger</a>Zachary Weinberger joined ClutchPoints in October 2023 as a Miami Heat reporter as well as an Associate Editor. He graduated from Florida Atlantic University in 2022 after covering the school's athletic programs since his freshman year at the FAU University Press, where he was a Sports Editor and Editor-in-Chief. He then covered FAU Sports for The Palm Beach Post.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Houston Rockets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Coming off the news that the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/houston-rockets/rockets-news-kevin-durant-trade-suns-jalen-green">Houston Rockets will land Kevin Durant</a> in a trade, it’s time for the team to look at the rest of the roster and see how the contracts fit. With the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/houston-rockets/rockets-rumors-fred-vanvleet-44-9m-contract-option-key-update">Rockets approaching a decision on Fred VanVleet’s contract</a>, since it’s a team option at $44.9 million, the latest reporting speaks on the most likely situation to happen because of it.</p><p>Marc Stein of “The Stein Line” wrote about Houston’s conundrum with VanVleet now that Durant is on the roster and will command a sizable amount with an expected contract extension. Stein would report that on top of the expectation that VanVleet and the team will “do a new deal,” meaning they’ll decline the option, but a<a href="https://marcstein.substack.com/p/the-nbas-latest-trade-talk-and-contract?utm_source=post-email-title&amp;publication_id=392205&amp;post_id=166688231&amp;utm_campaign=email-post-title&amp;isFreemail=false&amp;r=39f60&amp;triedRedirect=true&amp;utm_medium=email" rel="noopener"> “potential scenario”</a> is that both of their contracts will “line up.”</p><p>“The expectation is that VanVleet and the Rockets would simply ‘do a new deal,’ according to one source, if the team indeed relinquishes the option it holds by Sunday’s deadline,” Stein wrote. “The parties, remember, mutually agreed to move the option deadline to June 29 after VanVleet’s contract initially stipulated a decision five days after Houston’s season ended.”</p><p>“Durant, meanwhile, will become eligible with his new team on July 6 to tack on a two-year extension in excess of $120 million to his expiring $54.7 million salary for 2025-26,” Stein continued. “One potential scenario: Contracts for VanVleet and Durant that ultimately line up length-wise and take them to age 34 and 39, respectively.”</p><h2><b>Reports suggesting that Fred VanVleet won’t be anywhere but the Rockets</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Fred-VanVleet.jpg"><figcaption>Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>If the guard were to return, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/houston-rockets/fred-vanvleets-heartfelt-message-to-jalen-green-dillon-brooks-after-rockets-kd-trade">VanVleet would be on a Rockets team without Jalen Green</a> and Dillon Brooks, since they were part of the deal that is being sent to the Phoenix Suns for Durant. However, while Houston is “still deciding” what they will do with VanVleet’s team option, there seems to be “no scenario in circulation” that the 31-year-0ld will be another team.</p><p>“League sources say that the Rockets are still deciding how to proceed with Fred VanVleet’s $44.9 million team option,” Stein wrote. “There is no scenario in circulation, however, to suggest that VanVleet will be anywhere other than Houston when training camp opens in late September.”</p><p>“Sources say that the Rockets have not signaled to rival teams that they would entertain sign-and-trade proposals for Van Vleet in the event they passed on picking up the team option and allowed their lead guard to become an unrestricted free agent,” Stein continued.</p><p>Last season, VanVleet averaged 14.1 points, 5.6 assists, and 3.7 rebounds per game while shooting 37.8 percent from the field and 34.5 percent from beyond the arc in 60 games.</p><p>At any rate, the Rockets are looking to further improve after finishing second in the Western Conference with a 52-30 record before they were eliminated in seven games by the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Rockets rumors: ‘Potential scenario’ for Kevin Durant, Fred VanVleet after trade

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/houston-rockets/fred-vanvleets-heartfelt-message-to-jalen-green-dillon-brooks-after-rockets-kd-trade');   ga('set', 'title', 'Fred VanVleet’s heartfelt message to Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks after Rockets’ KD trade');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Rockets-forward-Dillon-Brooks-9-Houston-Rockets-guard-Jalen-Green-4-and-Houston-Rockets-guard-Fred-VanVleet-5-sit-on-the-bench-1.jpg"><figcaption>© Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><h1>Fred VanVleet’s heartfelt message to Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks after Rockets’ KD trade</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-23T20:35:05-07:00">June 23rd, 8:35pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-23T20:35:05-07:00">June 23rd, 8:35pm</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Houston Rockets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>In a trade where most pundits and fans believe that the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/kevin-durant-trade-grades-rockets-suns-after-blockbuster-deal">Houston Rockets came out on top</a>, they managed to bring in future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant from the Phoenix Suns in exchange for a package involving Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the 10th overall pick of the 2025 NBA Draft, and five second-round picks. Considering how much the Suns gave up for Durant, that return isn’t nearly enough, but then again, Durant is set to turn 37 years old prior to the start of next season.</p><p>Green and Brooks were instrumental parts of the Rockets squad that finally saw its rebuild bear fruit. And another one of the team’s culture-shifters, veteran point guard Fred VanVleet, bid the two farewell with a <a href="https://twitter.com/spacecitybr/status/1937338140840312980" rel="noopener">heartfelt message</a> on his Instagram story.</p><p>“4L 🖤🤞@jalen proud of you,” VanVleet told Green.</p><p>“@dillonbrooks24 boo sum 💪🤝real warrior thank you for shifting this culture with me,” VanVleet said of Brooks.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="pt">Capitão do time, Fred VanVleet se despede de Dillon Brooks e Jalen Green nos stories do Instagram! </p><p>“Pra sempre, tenho orgulho de você” – Jalen Green. </p><p>“Um guerreiro de verdade, obrigado por me ajudar a mudar essa cultura junto comigo.” – para Dillon Brooks <a href="https://t.co/cbsjuCdrqr">pic.twitter.com/cbsjuCdrqr</a></p><p>— Space City br 🎙🚀 (@spacecitybr) <a href="https://twitter.com/spacecitybr/status/1937338140840312980?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 24, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>VanVleet and Brooks certainly helped transform the Rockets from an also-ran to a serious team with serious contending aspirations. They both came into the team via free agency in the same year (2023) and they brought a hard-nosed, no-nonsense approach to the game that helped teach Houston’s young core winning habits.</p><p>Meanwhile, Green, despite having a stinker of a playoff run, grew up a ton alongside VanVleet in the Rockets backcourt. He was more locked into doing the little things, and he at least bought into the challenge of being a better defender.</p><p>But now, Green and Brooks will continue their careers elsewhere — and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/phoenix-suns/the-suns-cant-keep-new-big-3-together-after-kevin-durant-trade">whether or not that would be with the Suns</a> is far from certain.</p><h2><b>Rockets win the Kevin Durant trade by a landslide</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Durant-vs-the-Suns.jpg"><figcaption>Troy Taormina-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Durant might be near the end of his career, but he surely isn’t playing like it. He averaged 26.6 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.2 assists last season, and unlike with the Suns, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/houston-rockets/rockets-rumors-ime-udoka-role-kevin-durant-trade">Rockets can give him the requisite support</a> he needs to compete.</p><p>Even a 37-year-old Durant is much better than Green on every aspect of the game, while the defensive void Brooks’ departure leaves behind will easily be filled in by Amen Thompson and Tari Eason. Durant’s not too shabby on that end of the floor, either.</p><p>Moreover, Durant is surely about to make the Rockets’ offense that much smoother. There were plenty of stretches last season where the Rockets’ halfcourt offense was a mess and they had to rely on their bruising presence on the offensive glass to manufacture points. And for what they gave up, this cannot be construed as anything other than a landslide win in Houston’s favor.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Fred VanVleet’s heartfelt message to Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks after Rockets’ KD trade

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/houston-rockets/rockets-rumors-fred-vanvleet-44-9m-contract-option-key-update');   ga('set', 'title', 'Rockets rumors: Fred VanVleet’s $44.9M contract option gets key update');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Fred-VanVleet-of-the-Houston-Rockets-1.jpg"><figcaption>Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Rockets rumors: Fred VanVleet’s $44.9M contract option gets key update</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-23T13:11:03-07:00">June 23rd, 1:11pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-23T14:08:28-07:00">June 23rd, 2:08pm</time><address><a>Benedetto Vitale</a>Benedetto Vitale is an avid sports writer who is an expert at covering the NFL, college football, NBA, and UFC. He graduated from the University of Oregon in 2016 with a film degree but has since dedicated his career to sports writing.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Houston Rockets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/houston-rockets/rockets-rumors-ime-udoka-role-kevin-durant-trade">Houston Rockets pulled off a big trade and landed Kevin Durant</a> from the Phoenix Suns. Now that the 36-year-old forward is in Houston, rumors are that the front office plans to address Fred VanVleet’s contract option.</p><p>Reports indicate that the Rockets plan to decline VanVleet’s contract option, making him a free agent, according to Kelly Iko of The Athletic. However, the front office <a href="https://x.com/KellyIko/status/1937226446604501303" rel="noopener">does plan to re-sign</a> VanVleet to a new, long-term deal.</p><p>“The Houston Rockets are likely to decline the $44.9 million team option on veteran guard Fred VanVleet and discuss a new multi-year extension in the coming days, sources tell The Athletic.”</p><p>It’s unclear exactly how much the Rockets may re-sign Fred VanVleet for. But it appears all signs point toward Houston bringing back the 31-year-old guard. That would round out the potential starting lineup with VanVleet, Amen Thompson, Kevin Durant, Jabari Smith Jr., and Alperen Sengun.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/ranking-3-best-fred-vanvleet-free-agency-destinations-if-he-leaves-rockets">Keeping Fred VanVleet on the roster</a> might be the right choice for the Rockets. The team wouldn’t have to go out of its way to find a new point guard and keep most of the roster intact after trading Jalen Green to Phoenix. Houston will want his production as well, as VanVleet provides consistent scoring, solid ball facilitation, and decent perimeter defense.</p><p>The onetime All-Star ended the 2024-25 campaign averaging 14.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 1.6 steals per game while shooting 37.8% from the floor and 34.5% from beyond the arc. His 37.8% field-goal percentage was the lowest of his career since his rookie season.</p><p>But the Rockets should feel comfortable bringing him back regardless, especially considering that Durant should open up more scoring opportunities for Fred VanVleet and his teammates.</p><p>VanVleet’s contract situation likely won’t be resolved until after the NBA Draft. Teams can begin negotiating deals with free agents on June 30. So it’s possible the Rockets make a final decision on Fred VanVleet’s option, then turn around and sign him back during free agency.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Rockets rumors: Fred VanVleet’s $44.9M contract option gets key update

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/houston-rockets/bobby-marks-breaks-down-rockets-fred-vanvleet-options');   ga('set', 'title', 'Bobby Marks breaks down Rockets’ Fred VanVleet options');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Houston-Rockets-point-guard-Fred-Vanvleet.jpg"><figcaption>Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Bobby Marks breaks down Rockets’ Fred VanVleet options</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-05-07T13:47:29-07:00">May 7th, 1:47pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-05-07T13:50:49-07:00">May 7th, 1:50pm</time><address><a>Zachary Howell</a>Zachary Howell is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints focusing on creating premier MLB content. He is a big fan of the Yankees, Oklahoma City Thunder and the Syracuse Orange. In his free time, he likes to be outside or read.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Houston Rockets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Houston Rockets and general manager Rafael Stone face a big decision early this offseason regarding Fred Vanvleet. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/houston-rockets/rockets-news-fred-vanvleet-declares-intentions-free-agency">Rockets guard wants to stay with the team</a> and have them pick up his $44.9 million team option. He helped Alperen Sengun keep Houston’s offense afloat against the Golden State Warriors, proving his value in the playoffs. However, picking up his option would send the team into the first apron, limiting the moves they can make around him.</p><p>In order to buy themselves more time, both sides pushed back the deadline for a decision to be made from Friday to June 29th. ESPN’s Bobby Marks explained the situation and the <a href="https://x.com/BobbyMarks42/status/1920201482848092405" rel="noopener">two avenues</a> that the Rockets could go down. On one hand, the team can decline the option and hope that Vanvleet will be open to negotiating a lower contract spread out over a few years. If they do that, though, they risk another team offering him a better deal and losing him for nothing.</p><p>On the other hand, the team can pick up his option, keeping him and Sengun at the offensive controls. Stone would have the team in the first apron, but he can justify the decision with the team’s success. Vanvleet was a key part of the puzzle for Houston, so keeping him around is the safer call. However, if he doesn’t sign, the Rockets have access to a $14.1 million non-tax mid-level exception.</p><p>The 31-year-old guard took a chance on himself in 2023 and it paid off when he signed with Houston. He and Dillon Brooks helped to grow the team into a serious contender in the West. They gave balance to a team full of young and unproven players, showing them how to win. This offseason, though, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/houston-rockets/ranking-houston-rockets-superstar-trade-options-after-flaming-out-warriors">Houston expects to be active on the trade market</a>.</p><p>Regardless of what decision Houston makes, they can’t deny Vanvleet’s impact on their team. If they do move on, they need to be sure they have a suitable replacement. Amen Thompson and Reed Sheppard are candidates to fill his shoes as players, but not experienced leaders.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Bobby Marks breaks down Rockets’ Fred VanVleet options

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/houston-rockets/rockets-news-houston-sets-deadline-for-fred-vanvleet-contract-decision');   ga('set', 'title', 'Rockets set new deadline for $44.9 million Fred VanVleet contract decision');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Rockets-Fred-VanVleet.jpg"><figcaption>Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Rockets set new deadline for $44.9 million Fred VanVleet contract decision</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-05-07T13:46:35-07:00">May 7th, 1:46pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-05-07T13:46:35-07:00">May 7th, 1:46pm</time><address><a>Julian Ojeda</a>Julian Ojeda is an Orlando-based sports journalist with 3 years of professional writing under his belt, specializing in both NBA and NFL coverage. A devoted Orlando Magic fan, he deftly balances fervent fandom with insightful reporting, possessing a keen eye for compelling narratives.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Houston Rockets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Houston Rockets and guard Fred VanVleet have agreed to <a href="https://x.com/ShamsCharania/status/1920195124140614067" rel="noopener">push back</a> the decision deadline on his <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/houston-rockets/rockets-rumors-houston-discussions-alter-fred-vanvleet-contract">$44.9 million team option for the 2025-26 season</a> to June 29, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania. The deadline had originally been scheduled for Friday. The extension gives both sides additional time to explore the option of exercising the deal or negotiating a longer-term agreement.</p><p>VanVleet, 31, just completed his <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/houston-rockets/rockets-news-fred-vanvleet-declares-intentions-free-agency">second season with the Rockets after signing a three-year, $128.5 million contract</a> with the team in July 2023. The deal included a team option in the final year. The veteran guard played a central role in Houston’s rise this season, helping guide the franchise to its first playoff appearance since 2020 and a 52-30 regular-season record — their first 50-win campaign since 2018-19.</p><h2><b>Fred VanVleet’s postseason surge highlights his value as Rockets weigh future ahead of June 29 deadline</b></h2><p>In 60 regular-season games, VanVleet averaged 14.1 points, 5.5 assists, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game while shooting 37.8% from the field and 34.5% from three-point range. Though his scoring output dipped compared to previous seasons, his leadership and defensive presence proved instrumental in the Rockets’ turnaround under head coach Ime Udoka.</p><p>VanVleet’s postseason performance saw a notable uptick in production. In the team’s seven-game first-round series against the Golden State Warriors, he averaged 18.7 points, 4.4 assists, 4.1 rebounds, and 1.0 steal per game. He shot 43% from the field and 43.5% from deep on 8.9 three-point attempts per contest across 40 minutes per game. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/houston-rockets/houston-rockets-most-blame-losing-stephen-curry-warriors-playoffs-again">Rockets nearly rallied from a 3-1 series deficit before falling in Game 7</a>.</p><p>With a promising young core that includes Alperen Sengun, Jalen Green, and Amen Thompson, the Rockets are expected to be active this offseason in an effort to build on their momentum. VanVleet’s contract situation will be one of the team’s key decisions, as the front office evaluates whether to retain him on the existing option or pursue a new deal that could provide greater roster flexibility.</p><p>General manager Rafael Stone and the Rockets’ front office are expected to weigh VanVleet’s value as a stabilizing veteran against potential opportunities in the trade and free agent markets. VanVleet remains one of the team’s most experienced players and is widely credited for his impact on the development of the Rockets’ younger talent.</p><p>The new June 29 deadline provides a window for both sides to continue discussions before the start of free agency. VanVleet’s future in Houston could have significant implications for how the team approaches its roster-building strategy heading into the 2025-26 season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Rockets set new deadline for $44.9 million Fred VanVleet contract decision

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/houston-rockets/rockets-rumors-houston-discussions-alter-fred-vanvleet-contract');   ga('set', 'title', 'Rockets rumors: Houston in discussions to alter Fred VanVleet’s contract');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Fred-VanVleet-of-the-Houston-Rockets.jpg"><figcaption>Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Rockets rumors: Houston in discussions to alter Fred VanVleet’s contract</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-05-06T15:06:24-07:00">May 6th, 3:06pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-05-06T15:55:58-07:00">May 6th, 3:55pm</time><address><a>Benedetto Vitale</a>Benedetto Vitale is an avid sports writer who is an expert at covering the NFL, college football, NBA, and UFC. He graduated from the University of Oregon in 2016 with a film degree but has since dedicated his career to sports writing.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Houston Rockets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/golden-state-warriors/warriors-draymond-green-gives-young-rockets-props-and-some-tough-love">Houston Rockets’ offseason began early</a> after the Golden State Warriors eliminated them from the playoffs in seven games of their first-round NBA Playoffs series. With the future unclear for now, rumors suggest the front office is having discussions about what to do with Fred VanVleet’s contract.</p><p>VanVleet, who is 31 years old, has a $44.9 million team option on his contract. Reports indicate that the Rockets are pondering accepting or declining the option but are going to make the final decision <a href="https://x.com/TheSteinLine/status/1919859082900410460" rel="noopener">at the end of June</a>, according to NBA insiders Marc Stein and Jake Fischer.</p><p>“The Rockets are in discussions to move the decision date on Fred VanVleet’s player option to the end of June. Under the original terms, Houston must decide on VanVleet’s $44.9 million team option for 2025-26 this week.”</p><p>Houston originally signed VanVleet to a three-year contract worth over $128 million in 2023. The first two years were with the team, but year three is a team option for the Rockets.</p><p>VanVleet served as the veteran leader of a young Rockets team for the past two seasons. He ended the 2024-25 campaign averaging 14.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game while shooting 37.8% from the field and 34.5% from the three-point line.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/houston-rockets/rockets-news-rafael-stone-nobodys-untouchable-mindset-trade-speculation">Rumors suggest the Rockets may be in the trade market</a> for a superstar-caliber player with Kevin Durant being a popular name being floated around. Houston has gained numerous draft picks, and the belief is that the front office plans to use some as trade bait to improve the roster for next season.</p><p>Despite being one of the youngest teams in the league, the Rockets managed to clinch the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. However, due to their lack of playoff experience, the team was outplayed by the Warriors in the first round. But Houston did manage to fight back and force a Game 7 despite falling behind 3-1 in the series at one point.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Rockets rumors: Houston in discussions to alter Fred VanVleet’s contract

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/houston-rockets/rockets-news-fred-vanvleet-declares-intentions-free-agency');   ga('set', 'title', 'Rockets’ Fred VanVleet declares intentions ahead of free agency');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Rockets-Fred-VanVleet.jpg"><figcaption>Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Rockets’ Fred VanVleet declares intentions ahead of free agency</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-05-05T10:38:30-07:00">May 5th, 10:38am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-05-05T11:06:50-07:00">May 5th, 11:06am</time><address><a>Brett Siegel</a>Brett Siegel joined ClutchPoints as a credentialed NBA insider and reporter in May 2023 after previously covering the NBA for Fastbreak on FanNation and NBA Analysis Network, as well as working with Louisville Basketball. From playing to coaching to covering the game as a media member, Brett has been involved with the game of basketball from many different perspectives. Breaking the news of various free agent signings, yearly NBA Draft news and other key stories around the league, Brett is always on the phone, getting the latest news and rumors around the NBA. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @BrettSiegelNBA.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Houston Rockets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>When Fred VanVleet left the Toronto Raptors after seven years and a championship in 2023 to join the Houston Rockets, he did so to become the veteran leader of a young, rising team in the Western Conference. This season, the Rockets took a major step forward, as they claimed the 2-seed in the conference and forced a Game 7 against Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors despite trailing 3-1 in the series.</p><p>Although Houston came up short, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/golden-state-warriors/warriors-news-stephen-curry-winner-declaration-game-7-rockets">losing 103-89 in Game 7 at home on Sunday night</a>, this team proved that it will be a formidable foe in the championship picture for many years to come.</p><p>Despite his inconsistent season and averaging just 14.1 points per game, his lowest scoring average since the 2018-19 season, VanVleet stepped up when it mattered most for the Rockets. In the seven-game playoff series against Golden State, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/houston-rockets/rockets-news-shocking-fact-proves-fred-vanvleet-true-stephen-curry-warriors-killer">veteran point guard was an essential part of his team’s success</a>, averaging 18.7 points per game while shooting 43.5 percent from 3-point range.</p><p>VanVleet scored at least 25 points in three straight games to help lead Houston out of their 3-1 deficit to the Warriors and force a Game 7.</p><p>After Sunday’s loss, VanVleet was questioned about his future with the team since he has a $44.8 million player option on his contract for the 2025-26 season. No matter what happens with this option, VanVleet made it clear that he wants <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoiOgFz3VuM">his future to be with this organization</a>.</p><p>“I know I’m a little new here, but I’m never going to speak about contract stuff publicly,” VanVleet said in his postgame press conference. “I handle the business behind closed doors, but obviously, I put my heart and soul into this, and this is where I want to be. It’s definitely a family situation. I got a lot of love for our coaching staff and Rafael (Stone) and the Fertitta family.</p><p>“When I had my free agent meeting two years ago, it was never a short-term vision. It was a long-term goal, so we’re on track. We’re on schedule. It’s a tough way to lose and end the season, but my mind is very far away from contract stuff right now. We’ll get to that when it’s time.”</p><p>The Rockets and VanVleet do have some time to figure out the logistics of his long-term future in Houston, as a decision on his team option doesn’t need to be made until June 29. Already, the Rockets are projected to be right around the first tax apron with over $190 million committed in salaries for the 2025-26 season.</p><p>While there is the possibility of the Rockets utilizing this team option as a way to restructure the 31-year-old guard’s contract, even head coach Ime Udoka made it clear that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/houston-rockets/rockets-news-ime-udoka-makes-strong-statement-on-fred-vanvleet-before-free-agency">he doesn’t intend on seeing VanVleet play for another team</a> any time soon.</p><p>“I think both sides want to be here and want him here,” Udoka stated. “He’s a huge part of our growth. Love everything he’s done.</p><p>“I’d love to have him back, and I think the feeling’s mutual.”</p><p>After losing to the Warriors, the Rockets will be involved in a handful of trade rumors. With talents like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant potentially hitting the trade market, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/houston-rockets/jalen-green-nba-playoffs-rockets-kevin-durant-giannis-trade-market">Jalen Green’s future with the organization is suddenly a topic of discussion</a> due to his lackluster playoff performances.</p><p>Nonetheless, VanVleet’s future in Houston appears to be secured, regardless of what happens with his team option. All indications point in the direction of VanVleet being the veteran leader on the Rockets’ roster to begin the 2025-26 season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Rockets’ Fred VanVleet declares intentions ahead of free agency

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/golden-state-warriors/warriors-news-draymond-green-throws-shade-rockets-fred-vanvleet-callout');   ga('set', 'title', 'Warriors’ Draymond Green throws shade at Rockets with Fred VanVleet callout');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Warriors-Draymond-Green-vs.-Fred-VanVleet.jpg"><figcaption>Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Warriors’ Draymond Green throws shade at Rockets with Fred VanVleet callout</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-05-05T08:26:51-07:00">May 5th, 8:26am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-05-05T08:26:51-07:00">May 5th, 8:26am</time><address><a>Brett Siegel</a>Brett Siegel joined ClutchPoints as a credentialed NBA insider and reporter in May 2023 after previously covering the NBA for Fastbreak on FanNation and NBA Analysis Network, as well as working with Louisville Basketball. From playing to coaching to covering the game as a media member, Brett has been involved with the game of basketball from many different perspectives. Breaking the news of various free agent signings, yearly NBA Draft news and other key stories around the league, Brett is always on the phone, getting the latest news and rumors around the NBA. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @BrettSiegelNBA.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Golden State Warriors</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Draymond Green is never one to back down from playful jabs. This is especially true in the aftermath of helping lead the Golden State Warriors to a key victory in the NBA playoffs. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/golden-state-warriors/warriors-news-draymond-green-defense-poise-rockets-sets-stage-anthony-edwards-timberwolves">Warriors defeated the Houston Rockets 103-89 on Monday night</a> to win Game 7 and advance to the Western Conference semifinals.</p><p>After leading the Rockets 3-1 after four games, Fred VanVleet and the Rockets showed incredible resilience to stave off elimination with back-to-back wins, one coming on the road in Game 6, and force a decisive Game 7 in front of their home faithful. Ultimately, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/golden-state-warriors/warriors-stephen-curry-draymond-green-join-exclusive-club-with-rockets-dominance">Green and the Warriors’ experience proved to be the difference</a>, as their adjustments were symbolic of a championship-proven organization.</p><p>Amid all the postgame celebrating, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/houston-rockets/rockets-news-warriors-draymond-green-houston-future-bright-playoff-loss">Green not only took a moment to truly appreciate the Rockets</a> and talk about their bright future in the Western Conference, but he also made sure to <a href="https://x.com/957thegame/status/1919255648484966698" rel="noopener">clap back at VanVleet</a> for the guard’s recent comments.</p><p>“It’s always fun winning in this city and winning in this arena,” Green said in his Game 7 postgame comments. “I saw Fred made a comment earlier saying, ‘This ain’t that team.’ It’s that organization, though. And we like coming to this city and playing in these situations. It’s been good to us.”</p><p>Before their playoff series against the Warriors even started, VanVleet discussed facing the Warriors at length, stating that the Rockets’ failures against Golden State in the past <a href="https://x.com/BinkleyHoops/status/1912619649344413881" rel="noopener">aren’t symbolic of this year’s team</a>.</p><p>“No! This ain’t that team and that ain’t this team,” VanVleet said at the team’s practice on Apr. 16, via Rockets reporter Lachard Binkley. “It’s a different team, we are a different team, they’re a different team.”</p><p>While these may have been two different teams than the ones who faced off against one another in 2019, the result was the same for the Warriors.</p><p>Stephen Curry, Steve Kerr, and Green are now 5-0 in playoff series against the Rockets, as they have gone 20-10 in 30 playoff games against this organization. The Warriors picked up yet another impressive road win in a hostile Houston environment, which is the main reason why Green is satisfied with calling out his opponents for their previous comments.</p><p>While this may have been a different series for the Rockets and VanVleet compared to what the organization had faced previously, it was the same fiery energy for Green. The Warriors knew this task of taking down the Rockets would not be easy. That is why the veteran claimed he will be enjoying this win before refocusing his energy on the Minnesota Timberwolves.</p><p>“I think what you saw from us is that this stuff is hard, man,” Green continued. “He told me the other day, ‘I got a question,’ and they were saying like, ‘This is tougher than it used to be.’ I’m like, ‘No it ain’t! It’s always been hard. We know how hard it is.’ It looked easy, but it’s always been hard.</p><p>“To get over the hump, the first hump, you feel good about it. Enjoy it, appreciate it tonight, and move on from it tomorrow.”</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Warriors’ Draymond Green throws shade at Rockets with Fred VanVleet callout

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/houston-rockets/rockets-news-ime-udoka-makes-strong-statement-on-fred-vanvleet-before-free-agency');   ga('set', 'title', 'Rockets’ Ime Udoka makes strong statement on Fred VanVleet before free agency');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Fred-VanVleet-with-Draymond-Green.jpg"><figcaption>Troy Taormina-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Rockets’ Ime Udoka makes strong statement on Fred VanVleet before free agency</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-05-04T21:30:10-07:00">May 4th, 9:30pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-05-04T21:30:10-07:00">May 4th, 9:30pm</time><address><a>Lorenzo J Reyna</a>Lorenzo J Reyna has joined ClutchPoints as Associate Editor of NFL &amp; NCAA Football. He's equipped with past experience for both realms through his recent stops at Pro Football Network and Heavy while also writing for 247Sports. His Twitter/X handle is @LJ_Reyna and his Instagram is @lj_zo_rey.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Houston Rockets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Houston Rockets watched Fred VanVleet deliver the hot hand behind the arc. But now many fans wonder if he’ll return to the franchise following the NBA Playoffs exit Sunday. Ime Udoka faced the tough question about the sharpshooter’s Houston future.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/golden-state-warriors/warriors-news-golden-state-advances-round-2-game-7-rout-rockets">The Golden State Warriors ended the Rockets season 103-89</a> at the Toyota Center. Udoka now enters the offseason either running it back with VanVleet, or watch him sign a blockbuster deal elsewhere. The 2019 NBA champion with the Toronto Raptors will command significant attention in free agency.</p><p>Udoka wasted little time in addressing VanVleet’s Rockets future. <a href="https://x.com/MikeAScotto/status/1919236057498796377" rel="noopener">He made this strong statement postgame</a> via NBA insider Michael Scotto.</p><p>“I think both sides want to be here and want him here,” Udoka began. “He’s a huge part of our growth. Love everything he’s done.”</p><p>Udoka dove into the effect the 31-year-old point guard handed a young Rockets team.</p><p>“Perfect combo of on and off ball for our guards and young guys to grow,” Udoka said. “I’d love to have him back, and I think the feeling’s mutual.”</p><h2><b>Impact of Fred VanVleet on Rockets, Ime Udoka </b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Fred-VanVleet-vs.-Steph-Curry.jpg"><figcaption>Troy Taormina-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>VanVleet played on a Rockets team with a first-time NBA All-Star center and 23-year-old shooting guard. He formed chemistry with Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green, respectively.</p><p>The 6-foot PG started in 60 games. He averaged only 14.1 points per game — but VanVleet scored 17 or more points in five of the seven games against the Warriors. That includes his 29-point outburst that forced Game 7 on Friday.</p><p>VanVleet even delivered a near 40-point outing during the regular season. He dropped 37 points on the Miami Heat on March 21 in the 102-98 win in South Beach.</p><p>The Rockets will attempt to court him and solidify a third season with “H-Town.” VanVleet averaged 17.4 PPG in his Rockets debut during the 2023-24 season. Re-adding him increases Houston’s chances of returning to the postseason — including taking the next step and advancing out of the first round.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Rockets’ Ime Udoka makes strong statement on Fred VanVleet before free agency

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/golden-state-warriors/warriors-news-draymond-green-picks-up-tech-game-7-wild-move-fred-vanvleet');   ga('set', 'title', 'Warriors’ Draymond Green picks up tech in Game 7 with wild move on Fred VanVleet');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/May-4-2025-Houston-Texas-USA-Golden-State-Warriors-forward-Draymond-Green-23-reacts-and-Houston-Rockets-guard-Fred-VanVleet-5-holds-his-hands-over-his-face-after-a-play-during-t.jpg"><figcaption>Troy Taormina-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Warriors’ Draymond Green picks up tech in Game 7 with wild move on Fred VanVleet</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-05-04T19:11:11-07:00">May 4th, 7:11pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-05-04T20:15:22-07:00">May 4th, 8:15pm</time><address><a>Richard Pereira</a>Richard Pereira joined ClutchPoints in January 2025 as an Associate Editor. He earned his degree from Florida Atlantic University in 2023 and has been covering the school's athletic programs since 2020, having served as a Sports Editor at the FAU University Press. He was granted the unique opportunity to report on the men's basketball team's journey to the Final Four in Houston for FAU Owls Nest during March Madness, consistently striving to grow as a sports journalist.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Golden State Warriors</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Technical fouls seem to be inevitable when it comes to Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green. That much was the case during his interaction with Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet in <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/editorials/warriors-vs-rockets-game-7-prediction-odds-pick-spread-for-nba-playoffs-2025">Game 7 of the West First Round on Sunday night</a>.</p><p>Throughout the first-round series, Green has racked up numerous technical fouls and flagrant fouls. Whether it was intentional or unintentional, the Warriors star has been unable to stay away from being too physical towards his opponents.</p><p>Another incident took place in the last two minutes of the second quarter. Green had VanVleet guarding him from the 3-point line as the latter <a href="https://x.com/clutchfans/status/1919203648963223746" rel="noopener">reached in for the ball</a>. As a result, Green unintentionally hit the Rockets guard above the shoulder. Officials went to the monitor to review the play, and assessed the Warriors star a technical foul while giving VanVleet a personal foul for reaching in.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">This is beyond ridiculous now with Draymond Green. <a href="https://t.co/GuYGTarydJ">pic.twitter.com/GuYGTarydJ</a></p><p>— ClutchFans (@clutchfans) <a href="https://twitter.com/clutchfans/status/1919203648963223746?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 5, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><h2><b>How Draymond Green, Warriors played against Rockets</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/May-4-2025-Houston-Texas-USA-Golden-State-Warriors-forward-Draymond-Green-23-shoots-the-ball-over-Houston-Rockets-center-Alperen-Sengun-28-during-the-second-quarter-of-game-seve.jpg"><figcaption>Troy Taormina-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Despite the technical foul, Draymond Green had the last laugh as the Warriors beat the Rockets 103-89 in Game 7.</p><p>Golden State controlled the game from start to finish. Despite seeing Houston have a few moments to keep the score somewhat close, the Warriors took advantage of scoring runs down the stretch to keep their opponents at bay.</p><p>Four players scored in double-digits on Golden State’s behalf, including Green. Buddy Hield led the way with 33 points, three rebounds and three assists. He shot 12-of-15 from the field, including 9-of-11 from beyond the arc. Stephen Curry came next with 22 points and 10 rebounds, Jimmy Butler III put up 20 points and eight rebounds, while Green provided 16 points and six rebounds.</p><p>The Warriors will now move on to the West Semis, where they face the Minnesota Timberwolves. Game 1 would take place on May 6.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Warriors’ Draymond Green picks up tech in Game 7 with wild move on Fred VanVleet

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/golden-state-warriors/warriors-news-draymond-green-fred-vanvleet-game-6-heroics-rockets');   ga('set', 'title', 'Warriors veteran Draymond Green’s reaction to Fred VanVleet’ Game 6 heroics for Rockets');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Rockets-guard-Fred-VanVleet.jpg"><figcaption>Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Warriors veteran Draymond Green’s reaction to Fred VanVleet’ Game 6 heroics for Rockets</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-05-03T11:26:36-07:00">May 3rd, 11:26am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-05-03T11:26:36-07:00">May 3rd, 11:26am</time><address><a>Josue Pavon</a>Josue Pavon is an Associate Editor and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat writer for ClutchPoints. He started his career as a credentialed media member writing about the Boston Celtics for WEEI.com in Boston, where he grew into a local on-camera NBA reporter and podcast host for CLNS Media. Alongside the Celtics radio broadcaster and two-time NBA champion Cedric Maxwell, Josue is the co-host of the Cedric Maxwell podcast.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Golden State Warriors</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Fred VanVleet’s 29-point performance led the Houston Rockets’ 115-107 win against Draymond Green and the Golden State Warriors in Game 6. Keeping their season alive, the Rockets knotted their best-of-7 series 3-3. After the loss, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/golden-state-warriors/warriors-news-draymond-green-drops-fun-revelation-game-7-vs-rockets">Green revealed his excitement for Game 7</a> and said he wasn’t surprised to see the Rockets’ starting point guard dominate in Friday’s elimination game.</p><p>VanVleet connected on 7-of-13 attempts, including 6-of-9 threes, and a perfect 9-for-9 from the free-throw line. With a 3-2 lead, the Warriors failed to close out the series. However, Green has seen VanVleet show up on the NBA’s biggest stage before. So, <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1918702759743824251" rel="noopener">watching him respond</a> with his team’s back against the wall was to be expected, he said, per ESPN’s SportsCenter.</p><p>“No, I’m not surprised one bit. Fred VanVleet is the reason we lost to Toronto in the [2019 NBA] Finals,” Green said. “So, we know what he’s capable of. I’m not surprised at all.”</p><p>Green looks forward to the Warriors’ Game 7 matchup against the Rockets. He’s confident Golden State will correct its mistakes from Friday’s eight-point loss in Game 6 as the series shifts to Houston for its finale.</p><p>“It’s exciting. It’s for all the marbles. We’ll move on and learn from what we did wrong. It’s obvious what we did wrong,” Green said.</p><p>“I think Game 7s are fun.”</p><p>Stephen Curry’s 29 points led the Warriors. He also finished with seven rebounds, two assists, and two steals while Jimmy Butler flirted with a triple-double (27 points, nine rebounds, eight assists), and Green added eight points, seven assists, five rebounds, and three blocks.</p><p>Alperen Sengun notched a double-double (21 points, 14 rebounds) for Houston. Amen Thompson added 14 points, seven rebounds, and three steals, and Steven Adams’ 17 points led the Rockets’ bench.</p><h2><b>Draymond Green on ‘special’ Stephen Curry in Warriors’ Game 7</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Warriors-All-Star-Stephen-Curry-Warriors-Draymond-Green.jpg"><figcaption>Robert Edwards-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Warriors veteran <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/golden-state-warriors/warriors-news-draymond-green-special-stephen-curry-performance-game-7">Draymond Green expects an exceptional performance from Stephen Curry</a> in Game 7. Perhaps aside from cleaning up the mistakes Green says his team made in their loss to the Rockets in Game 6, he’s anticipating a special night from Curry in the Warriors’ series finale on Sunday.</p><p>While it isn’t rare for Green and the Warriors to expect Curry to come up big in a do-or-die matchup, Green is confident that Curry will have <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1918526095739048282" rel="noopener">a signature performance</a> against the Rockets.</p><p>“We look to him to do something special every night for the last 13 years I’ve been here,” Green said. “I don’t think it’s any different.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"We look to him to do something special every night for the last 13 years I've been here. I don't think it's any different."</p><p>Draymond Green on how Steph Curry will respond heading into a Game 7 🗣️</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/NBATV?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NBATV</a>)<a href="https://t.co/gSfzeNG09i">pic.twitter.com/gSfzeNG09i</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1918526095739048282?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 3, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The Rockets will host the Warriors for Game 7 on Sunday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Warriors veteran Draymond Green’s reaction to Fred VanVleet’ Game 6 heroics for Rockets

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/houston-rockets/rockets-news-fred-vanvleet-gives-steven-adams-a-wild-compliment-after-game-6-win');   ga('set', 'title', 'Rockets’ Fred VanVleet gives Steven Adams a wild compliment after Game 6 win');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Rockets-center-Steven-Adams-12-dunks.jpg"><figcaption>© Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Rockets’ Fred VanVleet gives Steven Adams a wild compliment after Game 6 win</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-05-02T22:12:48-07:00">May 2nd, 10:12pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-05-02T22:12:48-07:00">May 2nd, 10:12pm</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Houston Rockets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Houston Rockets big man Steven Adams has emerged as a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/golden-state-warriors/warriors-news-golden-state-melts-down-4th-quarter-rockets-game-7">major thorn in the Golden State Warriors’ side</a> during their first-round matchup in the 2025 NBA playoffs. Adams continues to provide a world of difference for the Rockets, with his mere presence on the floor being a huge threat to the Warriors’ small-ball approach. On Friday night, with the Rockets’ backs against the wall in Game 6 against the Warriors, Adams was a +15 off the bench in a 115-107 victory.</p><p>Simply put, Adams is proving himself to be a difference-maker for the Rockets, prompting Fred VanVleet, who has come alive over the past three games, to <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1918516094010040474" rel="noopener">shower him with some wild praise</a>.</p><p>“He’s the ultimate man. He’s just an enforcer down there. He’s like a big caveman in this era of small basketball. An old big just roughing everybody up. He’s impacted us on another level, a historical level honestly. Made his free throws tonight. We’re gonna play him until he dies out there,” VanVleet said in his postgame interview with ESPN SportsCenter’s Scott Van Pelt.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"He's like a big caveman in this era of small basketball. An old big just roughing everybody up. … We're gonna play him until he dies out there."</p><p>Rockets guard Fred VanVleet to Scott Van Pelt on Steven Adams 😂<a href="https://t.co/lO80SPUGF0">pic.twitter.com/lO80SPUGF0</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1918516094010040474?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 3, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Adams is causing major problems for the Warriors on the interior on both ends of the floor; not exactly known as a premier shot-blocker in the NBA, the Rockets veteran swatted three shots in an elimination game and was a bruising presence on the glass, allowing Houston to control the paint game on both ends of the floor. Not a big time scorer, Adams scored 17 points in Game 6 (he hasn’t scored that many points in the playoffs in nearly five years).</p><p>It’s quite impressive to see how <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/houston-rockets/rockets-news-steven-adams-two-year-journey-overcome-injury-struggles">Adams has managed to bounce all the way back from a serious knee injury</a> that forced him to miss the entirety of the 2023-24 season. He looks to be as spry as ever, and the Rockets have managed to force a Game 7 thanks in large part to the way he’s able to survive in today’s NBA despite having the skillset of a throwback big man, as VanVleet hilariously alluded to.</p><h2><b>Steven Adams is such a perfect fit for this Rockets team</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Draymond-Green-1.jpg"><figcaption>Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Steven Adams, like most other traditional big men, struggle to guard the perimeter. But this Rockets team provides so much cover for him on that end of the floor, and it helps that Adams is able to sag off of a Warriors non-shooter, such as Draymond Green.</p><p>While Adams is deservedly getting plenty of credit for his impact for the Rockets this series (Houston is a +53 during his minutes for this series and is a +46 over the past three games), the veteran big man said that <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNNBA/status/1918523883545559421" rel="noopener">he is simply doing</a> what the coaches are asking of him.</p><p>“What difference do I make? I’m not sure. I just follow the game plan bro. Defensive game plan, we communicate,” Adams said in his postgame presser, via the official NBA account on X (formerly Twitter).</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"I just follow the game plan, bro."</p><p>Steven Adams on the difference he made during the game 😅 <a href="https://t.co/y0gsZq6Ngh">pic.twitter.com/y0gsZq6Ngh</a></p><p>— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNNBA/status/1918523883545559421?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 3, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Rockets’ Fred VanVleet gives Steven Adams a wild compliment after Game 6 win

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/houston-rockets/rockets-news-shocking-fact-proves-fred-vanvleet-true-stephen-curry-warriors-killer');   ga('set', 'title', 'Shocking fact proves Rockets’ Fred VanVleet is true Stephen Curry, Warriors killer');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/20250502_tbs_se9_141.jpg"><figcaption>Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Shocking fact proves Rockets’ Fred VanVleet is true Stephen Curry, Warriors killer</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-05-02T21:35:11-07:00">May 2nd, 9:35pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-05-02T21:35:11-07:00">May 2nd, 9:35pm</time><address><a>Richard Pereira</a>Richard Pereira joined ClutchPoints in January 2025 as an Associate Editor. He earned his degree from Florida Atlantic University in 2023 and has been covering the school's athletic programs since 2020, having served as a Sports Editor at the FAU University Press. He was granted the unique opportunity to report on the men's basketball team's journey to the Final Four in Houston for FAU Owls Nest during March Madness, consistently striving to grow as a sports journalist.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Golden State Warriors</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet has proven himself to be difficult for Stephen <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/warriors-news-golden-state-melts-down-4th-quarter-rockets-game-7">Curry and the Golden State Warriors to get past</a> in the playoffs.</p><p>Before this series, VanVleet has encountered the Warriors once, which was in the 2019 NBA Finals. He played for the Toronto Raptors at the time, playing a huge role as the team beat Curry and the Warriors in six games to claim their first-ever title.</p><p>And it seems his familiarity with Curry and Golden State’s style of play has benefitted the Rockets. Having trailed 3-1 in the first-round series, Houston has since won the next two games to even up the series at three apiece.</p><p>At the moment, VanVleet holds a 7-5 all-time record against Curry and the Warriors. This is the <a href="https://x.com/statmuse/status/1918512463634366724?t=aIMksOPJCR46wOaQQ6rv_Q&amp;s=33" rel="noopener">best record by any guard</a> in NBA history against Curry in the playoffs, per StatMuse.</p><h2><b>What’s next for Fred VanVleet, Rockets</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/20250502_tbs_se9_183.jpg"><figcaption>Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Fred VanVleet’s efforts have helped the Rockets keep their season alive for at least one more game. And given his history against Curry’s Warriors, they have a solid opportunity to stun their opponents.</p><p>Golden State had a big chance to close out the series at home, keeping the score close going into the fourth quarter. However, Houston made big plays down the stretch that grew their lead and shut down the momentum of the opposing offense. By winning 115-107 in Game 6, the Rockets have a big chance to win their first playoff series since 2020.</p><p>Five players scored in double-digits on Houston’s behalf. VanVleet led the way with 29 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. He shot 7-of-13 from the field, including 6-of-9 from beyond the arc, and 9-of-9 from the free-throw line. Alperen Sengun came next with 21 points and 14 rebounds, Steven Adams had 17 points and five rebounds, while Amen Thompson provided 14 points and seven rebounds.</p><p>The Rockets will now prepare for a win or go home matchup in Game 7, hosting the Warriors on May 4 at 8:30 p.m. ET.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
14.1	3.7	5.6	0.4	1.6

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
14.1	3.7	5.6	0.4	1.6

Fred VanVleet news

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