Raptors Cage

A look at Fred VanVleet’s career so far, and his importance to the Raptors

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The Toronto Raptors quietly became one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference in 2013-2014, winning the Atlantic Division. Despite three 50-plus win seasons and three more division titles over the next four seasons, the Raptors made it to the conference finals only once, losing in 2016. The addition of Kawhi Leonard fueled the team to a somewhat improbable victory over the Golden State Warriors in the 2019 NBA Finals.

The glory of the championship was short-lived, as Leonard signed a three-year deal with the Los Angeles Clippers for over $100 million on July 10, 2019.  The Raptors had a higher winning percentage in the 2019-2020 campaign, but missed the superstar who could carry them through the post season, losing in the Eastern Conference Semifinals to the Boston Celtics.  What must the team do moving forward to put together another championship-caliber team?

The first thing that is obvious is to retain most of their key players from last season, including sharpshooting guard Fred VanVleet. According to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps the Raptors want to re-sign VanVleet without digging too far into their cap space for 2021. Bobby Marks, also of ESPN, indicated that a deal of around $20 million per season over the next four years is what the Raptors will need to offer to stay competitive in the race to keep VanVleet. Problems could arise as the Raptors would need money to re-sign players like Serge Ibaka and Chris Boucher, or chase other free agents on the market.

According to NBA lines, VanVleet did very little in his first NBA season before becoming a legitimate long-range threat off the bench during the 2017-2018 season. He signed a two-year deal after that season to stay with the Raptors at around $9 million per season. VanVleet upped his game to 11 points and 38 percent from beyond the arc during the championship campaign. He further increased his stock after averaging nearly 18 points per game and 39 percent shooting from three-point range last season as a starter.

Now, VanVleet finds himself in unfamiliar territory. He enters the free agent market as arguably the top unrestricted player. The choice is his as to where he wants to go.  If he wants to be the main focus of a team and build his stardom, he can opt for a rebuilding scenario in New York, Detroit or Atlanta.  VanVleet could also take a bit of a smaller pay and resign with the Raptors or another player team looking to make a championship run.

From the Raptors’ perspective, it appears important for them to try to resign VanVleet. With Kyle Lowry’s retirement likely in the next few years, it’s all the more important to retain VanVleet. He would be a key component in place in addition to the likes of Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby for the next several years.

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