Russell Westbrook Reunion with Kevin Durant Possible After Fred VanVleet’s Injury

The Houston Rockets traded for Kevin Durant with the hope that he would be the catalyst for Fred VanVleet and the younger core to step up and become championship contenders.

After his tumultuous time with the Phoenix Suns came to an end, the Paris Olympics gold medalist wanted to move to a franchise that was not in experimental mode.

That narrowed his chances down to the Miami Heat, the Rockets, and the Golden State Warriors. However, the latter did not appeal to him, as he did not want to go down that route again, especially after what he had faced from fans since joining them in 2016.

The Heat could not match the Suns’ demands, leaving the Rockets as the only team with a stimulus package good enough to entice them. His move to Texas meant he would be one of the star veterans on a young team.

The franchise went as far as to sign a few other impactful players, making the Houston Rockets a surefire championship contender, at least on paper. The only rumor that continued to follow the team were whether they were interested in signing Russell Westbrook.

Durant did not dispel those rumors, giving further fuel that somehow, the franchise could reunite the former Oklahoma City Thunder teammates. Now, the latest news out of the Rockets seems to indicate there could be a major push to sign the triple-double king.

Just in: Houston Rockets' Fred VanVleet has suffered a torn ACL, sources tell ESPN. A devastating, potentially season-ending loss for the Rockets with their starting point guard and leader. pic.twitter.com/Qhf0V58DwR

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 22, 2025

Veteran guard Fred VanVleet, fresh off signing a contract extension, tore his ACL. A surgery would rule him out for the season, leaving the team without its most important leader.

Rockets have to find way to sign Russell Westbrook

In the offseason, Fred VanVleet signed a lower $25 million per season deal with the Houston Rockets so that they could bring in more players. The problem is that the franchise has exhausted most of its cap space.

They currently just have $1.2 million left under the 1st Apron, which is not a bad thing, as it means they can still sign a player. However, teams nowadays do not want to breach an Apron, as the league has specific penalties in place to counter extravagant spending.

As per NBA Insider Brett Siegel, the Rockets will not gain financially even if they apply for a disabled-player exception. Moreover, most of the players that could have been traded cannot be dealt before December 15th.

For those asking, the Rockets can't sign Russell Westbrook, Ben Simmons, or anyone else since they are roughly $1.2M from the first apron hard-cap.

The Rockets can apply for a disabled player exception, but that doesn't change their financial restrictions. https://t.co/RgKY0O4a7i

— Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) September 22, 2025

This leaves the franchise in a difficult situation. The top brass will have to find a way to make up just enough cap room so at least they can sign Russell Westbrook to the veteran minimum.

Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant could cause a frenzy in NBA

The mere fact that Kevin Durant is joining a team loaded with young talent that last season climbed to third in the standings was enough to cause a furor among basketball fans.

Now, if Russell Westbrook were to join in some way, the NBA could be in frenzied mode. For starters, they have buried the beef that stemmed from the 15-time All-Star’s decision to leave the Thunder.

Now, they are appreciative of each other’s work in the league, knowing both are going to be Hall of Famers at some point. Westbrook, though, lacks a championship ring, and joining Durant might be the best way to do so.

Unlike their Thunder days, the point guard nowadays is a spark off the bench, and his decision-making will likely not become a problem whenever the Slim Reaper is off the floor.

Moreover, Durant would appreciate it if his former Thunder teammate could help the Rockets’ bench step up, similar to how he did with the Los Angeles Clippers and the Denver Nuggets.

It would be an irony if the two were to meet the reigning champions and their former team, the Oklahoma City Thunder, in the Western Conference Finals.

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