The Rockets plan to file for a Disabled Players Exception due to Fred VanVleet‘s knee injury, Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports tweets.
Under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement, the exception would be worth $12.5MM — the equivalent to 50 percent of VanVleet’s $25MM salary. The DPE allows a team to sign a player up to the value of the exception without using cap space.
If the DPE is granted, the Rockets could sign a player to a one-year contract, trade for a player in the final year of his contract, or place a waiver claim on a player in the final year of his contract. In order for the exception to be granted, an NBA-designated physician must determine that the player is “substantially more likely than not” to be sidelined through at least June 15 of that league year.
Just over a month ago, VanVleet underwent surgery to repair to torn ACL in his right knee. He’s expected to miss the entire season.
VanVleet coincidentally met with the media Monday for the first time since the injury. VanVleet said he was in top shape prior to injuring his knee during an offseason workout in the Bahamas.
“Just being so excited, and I probably was in the best shape of my life leading up into this season, and just super excited about being out there getting off to a good start,” he told Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle and other media members. “So that was that was definitely disheartening to get hurt at that stage before the season.”
VanVleet, the Rockets’ starting point guard the past two seasons, said there’s no timeline for his return.
“No, no timeline,” he said. “Just taking it slow, day-by-day, and it’s definitely like a week-by-week, day-by-day thing. We’ll see where we’re at towards the end of the year.”
VanVleet holds a $25MM option on his contract for next season. He’s aiming to be back and better than ever.
“I’m gonna come back a much better person, player, everything in between,” he said. “That’s just the way that I approach things, who I am as a person. The nature of the rehab is so slow, like just take so many things for granted, being able to have to learn how to walk again and like baby steps. So to be
able to build yourself back up from ground zero, I have no doubt that I’ll come back a more complete, better, player and person.”