Will Fred VanVleet be a Toronto Raptor next season?

Raptors guard Fred VanVleet has a player option after this season, Imman Adan and Asad Alvi look at what deal makes sense for both parties and whether the All-Star guard will be back. Full episode is available on the "Raptors Over Everything" podcast feed or watch on our YouTube.

Video Transcript

ASAD ALVI: So Gary Trent Jr. is up for his contract. Fred VanVleet has a player option.

IMMAN ADAN: Mm-hmm.

ASAD ALVI: A lot of people are concerned, hey, Fred turned down his extension, which would've been for $114. He's definitely looking for a big contract. He's up for potentially get a max that's, like, huge, right? Are you a little bit worried about potentially Fred VanVleet making that much money next season and that being on the books? Should we be trading Fred VanVleet? I personally don't agree, but what are your thoughts on Fred VanVleet and what you think is going to probably play out with him?

IMMAN ADAN: I talked about this earlier for Yahoo! Sports Canada, which is one thing that the Raptors don't do is overpay for their guys, right? Like, they were willing to let Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol walk. They were willing to let Kyle Lowry walk because they didn't want to be the team to pay him that next contract.

I think if Fred VanVleet comes into a contract that the Raptors are not comfortable giving him or offering him, then no, I don't think that he stays. However, I don't see another team out there that'd be willing to pay Fred VanVleet that kind of money. And you said it.

Right now, he's, what, making like $20 million a year? He just averaged 30-- he just had back to back 39 point games, right? Like, he is-- for his contract level, his production far outweighs that or far exceeds that.

And I think Masai Ujiri and Bobby Webster have been very, like, pragmatic and very practical and have not overspent on anybody. Why the Raptors are in such a good position is because they have no bad contracts on the book-- on the books. And I think that that continues.

And Fred VanVleet, I don't know that-- like, it's very similar to Kyle Lowry 2017 where Kyle very much wanted to go to greener pastures. And I know that Fred VanVleet wants that. I think Fred VanVleet recognizes he's got a great thing going here.

But Kyle did want to leave. Like, let's be completely honest with ourselves. And the Spurs were not interested in paying him that money.

I think Dallas or whoever else was not interested in paying him that money. And so he returned to Toronto on a team friendly deal and on a deal that he could-- well, he got paid what he was deserving. I think the Raptors were generous with him and gave him more than any other team offered.

ASAD ALVI: But it was an under-matched deal. Like, he could have--

IMMAN ADAN: Oh, for sure. For sure.

ASAD ALVI: I mean, he could have made, like, three 110 or three 115 or something like that. And he ended up with like three 90.

IMMAN ADAN: --as much as he could have.

ASAD ALVI: He ended up with three 90 with, like $10 million in bonuses, right?

IMMAN ADAN: But it was more than anybody else was willing to give him, and I think we're sort of-- what was he, 30 years old?

ASAD ALVI: And even-- and even going back--

IMMAN ADAN: --Fred is right now. Fred is going to be--

ASAD ALVI: And even going back before Kyle, DeMar DeRozan was up for a max five year deal, and he did not sign a max five year deal even though he was, like, the hometown guy. He was like the face of the franchise. That's all-- that's how he was being sold. And Masai was-- even then, he was like, hey, we value you a lot. We're going to give you a really big contract. It's not going to be a max contract, though.

IMMAN ADAN: A lot of people are talking about, well, does Fred VanVleet fit with this team? Can he be on this team when you are-- yes. Yes, he can because here's the thing.

Fred VanVleet is supposed to be your shooting guard. Here's the thing. Fred VanVleet at his best, and we've seen that with Fred off ball-- so yes, we want the continued growth of Scottie, but we do need other creators.

You need somebody who can create for others. You need playmakers on the court at all times. So that doesn't hurt.

But Fred VanVleet is sort of very similar into that Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet where he played the two guard quite often. He was off ball more often than not. This is your best chance that you got.

You need floor space, and you need what he brings. And so to me, I think that, like, he fits in with this team. He's got great chemistry with Pascal Siakam.

We know that the Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet converted pick and roll is a bucket nearly every single time. We know that he's your best catch and shoot guy. We also know that this team needs pull-up shooting, and he is your-- far and away your best pull-up shooter.

So I think what he offers and what this team needs, Fred VanVleet fits. And I don't know that he's more valuable off this team or to other teams than he is to the Toronto Raptors. And for that reason, I think he probably stays with the Raptors. And I think he stays on a deal that both he and Masai can feel comfortable with.