Raptors guard Fred VanVleet was considered a respectable backup guard last regular season. And then emerged in the playoffs, rose his profile, and never looked back. He’s a very key member of the team, and with the future in mind is even more important considering that fellow starting guard Kyle Lowry, as good as he still plays, will turn 35 years old in March of 2021 and may start to slow down.
But VanVleet is a free agent this offseason. Here’s the Toronto Star examining how the Raps can potentially navigate the situation:
Keeping the 26-year-old guard, an integral part of a championship team and seemingly a foundational piece of the roster right now, has to be job No. 1 for Raptors president Masai Ujiri and general manager Bobby Webster when it comes to retooling a roster that had a wonderful regular season and then fell in a seven-game, second-round Bubble Series against the Boston Celtics.
No one is running from or hiding the fact that the team will have no centres under contract when the off-season hits, because that is an issue, but the first domino needs to be VanVleet.
It’ll be costly, but it can be done. The Raptors could work some financial magic and pay VanVleet somewhere around $20 million (U.S.) a year — he made about $9.3 million this season — and still retain a maximum salary slot for 2021, when the free-agent market will be rife with high-profile stars.
The Raptors had an excellent shot at the Eastern Conference Finals this season, falling just one win short in the second round against the Celtics.
And they also soon might have a hole at the center spot, with both Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka hitting free agency.
It would be smart to keep Ibaka. But the most important player for the Raps in the group is VanVleet.
