Bad news! Rockets general may be reimbursed for the season! US media: Rockets quickly sign Westbrook

The Rockets won the second record in the Western Conference in the regular season last season. Although they lost to the Warriors 3-4 in the first round of the playoffs, such performance gave the team confidence. Therefore, the Rockets completed many reinforcement operations this summer. They introduced Durant, Finney Smith, Capela, and Okogie. Although they lost Jaylen Green, Dillon and Whitmore, the overall strength of the Rockets has been greatly improved. With a very deep lineup, they have become the favorites to win the championship in the new season. The Rockets' players are also full of confidence and are ready to strive for the championship in the new season.

The new season has not officially started, but bad news has come from the Rockets. On September 23, 2025, famous reporter Shams reported that the Rockets' starting point guard Van Vreet suffered a torn ACL, and the recovery period of this injury is 9-12 months. Van Vreet is likely to miss the entire season. Van Vreet was injured in a mini camp in the Bahamas and will undergo surgery this week, according to Rockets reporter Kelly Iko.

Van Vreet is the Rockets' commander, and his organizational control and three-point shooting are indispensable to the team. If Van Vreet is reimbursed for the season, the Rockets' competitiveness in the new season will plummet. A good point guard has a very big role. Last season's Suns missed the playoffs, which proved this fact: without a good point guard, even if you have a scoring combination like Durant + Booker + Bill, it will be difficult to succeed. How should the

Rockets fill the vacancy in Van Vritte? American sports media such as ClutchPoints and NBACentral believe that the Rockets should sign Westbrook quickly. Westbrook used to play for the Rockets, but now Westbrook only needs a basic salary to win. Although Westbrook lacks shooting ability, he has won the assist king. His passing ability is still very good. The Rockets can sign Westbrook first to respond. Westbrook, Durant and Adams were teammates during the Thunder, and it would be interesting if they could reunite with the Rockets.

Although Westbrook can be introduced with a basic salary, Westbrook's fighting spirit should also be appreciated by Rockets coach Uduka, but the Rockets used the full middle class (signed Finney Smith) in the offseason, and the way to get Capela was to sign and exchange. They triggered the first hard hat: the team's total salary cannot exceed the first rich line. Currently, the Rockets only have 1.25 million US dollars from the first rich line, and they can't even sign a basic salary. If the Rockets want to introduce free agents such as Westbrook, their salary space is not enough and they cannot sign people directly, so they have to trade.

So can VanVleet be traded? Van Vreet has reached a two-year, $50 million contract extension with the Rockets this summer (the second year is the player option). His contract is currently untraded and it will take until December 15 this year to trade. In addition, Van Vreet has the right to veto the transaction and requires his own consent to reach the transaction, so it is not easy to trade and leave Van Vreet.

The Rockets' goal in the new season is to win the championship. How do they overcome the difficulties caused by Van Vreet's injury? Let's wait and see.