VanVleet (knee) exercised his $25 million player option for 2026-27 on Monday, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.
VanVleet declined a $44.9 million option last offseason to sign a two-year, $50 million contract, but he tore his ACL a few months later while preparing for training camp. The veteran missed the entire 2025-26 campaign, and his status heading into next season remains unclear, though there's optimism he'll be ready for Opening Night. VanVleet hasn't played since the 2024-25 season, when he averaged 14.1 points, his fewest since 2018-19.