Fred VanVleet’s box score doesn’t always scream superstar, but the numbers tell a different story when you skin them back. In two seasons with Houston, the Rockets jumped from 22 wins to 52, vaulting from irrelevance to a playoff berth. VanVleet ranked second on the team in three-point attempts last year (7.7 per game) and still found a way to average 18.7 points in the postseason. He even torched Golden State in a seven-game series, dropping 24.3 points on 64% from deep across the last four games. Not bad for a guard once undrafted out of Wichita State, right? So, why are the Bulls suddenly a subplot in his latest drama?

That’s where timing and contracts collide. Just as the Rockets were preparing to unleash a roster headlined by newly acquired Kevin Durant, VanVleet went down with a torn ACL, as reported by ESPN’s Shams Charania. For a team that had finally felt whole, the news hit like a gut punch, as it opened a $7 million window. That’s where Chicago sneaks in.

The Bulls, stuck in a holding pattern after three straight Play-In exits, find themselves with two key guards, Coby White and Ayo Dosunmu, waiting on extensions. Both are under team-friendly deals. Both are entering the final year. And both are too valuable to lose for nothing. Yet Chicago hasn’t pulled the trigger. Enter that $7 million exception, a number that looks a lot like Dosunmu’s projected value. Bill Simmons and Zach Lowe recently chewed on that exact scenario.

Simmons floated Dosunmu as a “$7 million stopgap” Houston could chase. Lowe didn’t hate the thought, even as he highlighted Dosunmu’s limited resume as a primary ball handler. Still, the idea stuck. When VanVleet’s injury dropped, the dots got easier to connect. Chicago has been here before. According to K.C. Johnson of Chicago Sports Network, the front office already tested the market on Dosunmu this summer, engaging in advanced talks before pulling back. They love the guard. They also love Coby White. But can they pay both? Especially after bringing in Josh Giddey? Something feels bound to break.

Meanwhile, VanVleet’s situation is its own cocktail of urgency and patience.

• At 31, he’s already secured plenty of money. First with his three-year, $128 million deal in 2023, and now with a two-year, $50 million extension he agreed to this summer.
• That gives Houston flexibility while giving VanVleet a path back to the market in 2026, when the cap is expected to balloon.
• Rich Paul structured it with a player option, betting that VanVleet could cash in again once healthy.

For now, though, Houston must solve a one-year problem. And Chicago may hold one of the keys. But the Rockets are losing the connective tissue of their offense.

How things could pivot in Fred VanVleet’s absence

VanVleet isn’t flashy, but he’s the one who will steer Kevin Durant, Alperen Şengün, and Amen Thompson into rhythm. Without him, the ball will move differently, and that matters in a Western Conference that punishes every hiccup. Houston didn’t trade for Durant to stall at 40 wins. That’s why Houston’s front office could scan the market fast.

Dosunmu at $7 million fits within the exception, and his defensive chops plus improving shooting make him a logical plug-in. The Rockets don’t need another star. They would rather need someone who can defend and keep the offense steady until VanVleet returns in 2026. In that sense, Dosunmu might be the league’s most affordable bandage. For the Bulls, though, the dilemma grows heavier. White showed All-Star flashes last season, Dosunmu put up career highs before shoulder surgery, and Giddey arrived to eat minutes.

Extending all three seems unlikely. Trading one before the deadline? That feels almost certain. And with Houston dangling relief money, it’s easy to imagine calls already happening. VanVleet’s injury also stings because of timing. He was supposed to enter camp alongside Durant, helping Houston finally feel like a legitimate two-headed monster. Instead, Durant must now do what he’s done in Brooklyn, Golden State, Oklahoma City, and Phoenix: shoulder more. The Rockets didn’t acquire KD to babysit minutes. They acquired him to win. Losing VanVleet complicates that mandate.

Still, VanVleet has defied the odds before. From undrafted rookie to NBA champion with Toronto in 2019, he’s built a career on flexibility. The ACL tear may sideline him, but it doesn’t erase his impact. The Rockets committed to him because he stabilizes chaos. They’ll try to replicate that while he rehabs, but replacing VanVleet is about leadership. And that’s far harder to quantify.

For now, here we are. The Bulls are stuck between contracts, the Rockets are scrambling for balance, and VanVleet is once again proving central to more than just his own box score. His injury has created a ripple that could reshape Chicago’s roster decisions before opening night. Will the Bulls cash in on the chatter? Will Houston gamble on a short-term fix? The season hasn’t even tipped, and the drama’s already here. The next call could set both franchises on very different courses.