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Former Toronto Raptors star Fred VanVleet suffers devastating injury

Colton Pankiw
Colton Pankiw
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Sep 22 2025, 8:16 pm
Former Toronto Raptors star Fred VanVleet suffers devastating injury
Erik Williams/Imagn Images

Former Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet may be sidelined for the entirety of the upcoming 2025-26 season.

The Houston Rockets veteran has suffered a torn ACL, as first reported on X by ESPN’s Shams Charania.

This is devastating news not only for VanVleet but also for the Rockets as a whole. They were expected to be a very good team this coming season, thanks in large part to a trade with the Phoenix Suns this summer, which saw them acquire superstar Kevin Durant.

VanVleet, who signed a three-year, $130 million deal with the Rockets in 2023, has helped turn the franchise around from a lottery team into a legitimate playoff contender. The Rockets re-signed the 31-year-old to a two-year, $50 million extension this summer.

Though the 2024-25 season was an off one for VanVleet, he made a big impact in the playoffs, averaging 18.7 points in seven games.

Prior to joining the Rockets, VanVleet spent seven seasons with the Raptors, which included an All-Star selection in 2022. He played a significant role in their 2019 championship, averaging 24.7 minutes through 24 playoff games.

During his time in Toronto, VanVleet became a fan favourite thanks to his unconventional path to becoming a highly impactful NBA player. Despite being undrafted, he was able to play 36 games with the Raptors in his first season out of college. He became a full-time starter for the Raptors in 2019-20.

The Rockets will likely need to scour the trade market, or perhaps consider the free-agent market, which still includes Russell Westbrook, a former teammate of Durant’s for eight seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

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