Fred VanVleet was listed day-to-day on the Rockets' injury report Sunday with a right knee issue. His expected return date is Oct. 1, ahead of Houston's season opener.
What happened
The Rockets listed Fred VanVleet as day-to-day on their injury report Sunday, Sept. 6 at 4:32 a.m. ET, with a knee issue affecting his right leg. His previous status is not announced. Shams Charania of ESPN reported that VanVleet exercised his $25 million player option for 2026-27 on Monday. The report lists his expected return as Oct. 1, 2026. No further detail on how the injury occurred is available.
What it means for the Rockets
Houston opens its 2026-27 schedule at the Mavericks on Friday, Oct. 9. The team has not played a regular-season game yet, so its record is 0-0 and there is no season-long line for VanVleet to compare against. If he is out, the backcourt minutes have gone to Amen Thompson (37.4 minutes, 18.3 points) and Reed Sheppard (26.2 minutes, 13.5 points) in games without him, based on past box scores, with Kevin Durant (36.4 minutes, 26.0 points) and Alperen Sengun (33.3 minutes, 20.4 points) anchoring the rest of the rotation. Steven Adams and Durant are also day-to-day with left ankle issues.
What to watch
VanVleet's expected return date is Oct. 1, which falls before the Rockets' opener at the Mavericks on Oct. 9. His status could change on the next injury report. Houston will also be tracking Steven Adams (left ankle) and Kevin Durant (left ankle), both day-to-day, heading into that same opening game.
Is Fred VanVleet playing at Mavericks?
Not announced. VanVleet is day-to-day with a right knee issue and his expected return date is Oct. 1, ahead of the Oct. 9 game at Dallas, but no game-status decision has been reported yet.
When will Fred VanVleet be back?
His expected return date, per the injury report, is Oct. 1, 2026.