Fred VanVleet is staying with the Toronto Raptors. VanVleet’s a good young point guard who could be a key piece of their future, especially if they try to trade Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan. They have big contracts on their payroll, so it wouldn’t be shocking to see at least one of them get traded. Vanvleet re-signing will help them compete next season if they keep their core together.
Restricted free agent Fred VanVleet has agreed to a two-year, $18 million deal to return to Toronto, league sources tell Yahoo.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2018
What Does This Deal Mean?
The Raptors wanted to strike a deal early with their young point guard and they did just that. They wanted to make sure that they locked him up before a different team tried to lock him up to a big money deal. He was a restricted free agent and they could’ve matched anything, but they didn’t want to have to do that.
VanVleet could potentially set himself up to get a big deal for his next contract. If he continues to play well, he could earn a big payday from the Raptors even. They could very possibly be wanting to move on from their current core and go another direction. VanVleet is a bright young star who has the potential to be a very good point guard in the league.
This deal can also possibly mean that they’ll look to trade Lowry. They could possibly look to make some other moves to try and keep this team competing in the eastern conference. If Lebron goes out West, the Raptors will do everything they can to make sure they can compete with the Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics.
VanVleet is very good, but don’t expect him to start in the near future. This team could look to trade their stars for assets, but that might not happen. He’s very capable of playing as a small ball two guard in certain situations when asked. No matter what happens to this team, VanVleet will have an exciting role next season.
Credit: Chris Kern
