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Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet has been fined $30,000 for public criticism of the officiating, it was announced today by Joe Dumars, Executive Vice President, Head of Basketball Operations.
VanVleet made his comments to the media following the Raptors’ 108-100 loss to the LA Clippers on Mar. 8 at Crypto.com Arena.
Via the Canadian Press:
The 29-year-old also singled out official Ben Taylor in his post-game remarks, which consisted of several expletives.
Here’s the Toronto Sun with speculation on what moves the Raptors might explore down the road:
But if we had to guess which way the Raptors’ front office is leaning right now based on their history and past preference, it would lean towards the smaller more time-sensitive moves now, followed by the bigger ones in the off-season.
Fitting the time-sensitive definition would be something like a Gary Trent Jr. trade. Trent Jr. can move on from the Raptors this summer for nothing in return. And if you’re reading the tea leaves, or in this case C.J. McCollum’s take that the Raptors will do something, Trent Jr. moving would seem to be the most likely bet…
The big dominos that could fall — everyone from Fred VanVleet to O.G. Anunoby’s names have been mentioned in one form or another — again based on Raptors front office history, if they are moved it’s much more likely they will be moved in the summer.
The Raptors are 20-26 this season, which is the 11th best record in the Eastern conference.
Their leading scorers so far in 2022-23 are Pascal Siakam at 25.1 PPG, Fred VanVleet at 18.9 PPG, Gary Trent Jr. at 18.5 PPG, O.G. Anunoby at 17.5 PPG, and Scottie Barnes at 15.7 PPG.
NBA All-Stars Zach LaVine of the Chicago Bulls, Karl-Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Fred VanVleet of the Toronto Raptors and Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks headline the 2022 NBA 3-Point Contest, which will take place on Saturday, Feb. 19 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland.
The eight-player field for the two-round, timed shooting competition also features guard CJ McCollum of the Portland Trail Blazers (though he will reportedly soon be traded to the New Orleans Pelicans), guard Desmond Bane of the Memphis Grizzlies, guard Luke Kennard of the LA Clippers and guard Patty Mills of the Brooklyn Nets.
The Toronto Raptors are off to an 0-3 start. Which isn’t a huge deal, because three games don’t tell a full tale of what’s to come in an entire season. But there are some issues to watch. Here’s the Toronto Sun on star forward Pascal Siakam:
Siakam has had a weird start. He’s looked far more energetic and locked-in and appears to be having more fun than he did in the bubble, but he’s also been a bit error-prone, has been mad at the officiating and has completely faded the later into games he gets. Is it fatigue? Frustration? This wasn’t the Siakam we saw to start the 2019-20 campaign. That Siakam was a Top 10 MVP candidate after the first month or so…
Siakam is -39 in the second half of the first three games, +6 in the first two quarters, has not gotten to the free throw line once in the first or fourth quarter of any game and committed five fouls in the final seven minutes of Tuesday’s loss.
He also hasn’t been the all-world defender he has been the past few seasons (torched by Brandon Ingram, Tobias Harris and Ben Simmons).
Through three games, Kyle Lowry is averaging 19.3 points and 9.7 assists. Siakam is second in scoring at 18.7 PPG, 9.0 RPG and 4.7 APG, but he’s shooting just 39.3% FG. Guard Fred VanVleet’s shot has also been missing: he’s putting up 14.7 PPG, 4.0 RPG and 6.0 APG but on just 36.4% FG.
Again, it’s too early to care much about exact numbers. But for now, the Raptors aren’t hot out of the gates.
Toronto’s next game is tomorrow on the road against the Knicks.
The Toronto Raptors have re-signed free agent guard Fred VanVleet to a multi-year contract.
Per multiple reports, VanVleet’s Raptors contract is a four-year, $85 million deal. The final season is a player option, according to ESPN.
“In the last four years, we’ve seen Fred move from leader of Raptors 905, to leader of the Bench Mob to a leader of a championship team. The constant has been his leadership, no matter his role,” Raptors president Masai Ujiri said. “We look forward to the coming years with Fred as one of the voices and hearts of our team. We bet on Fred.”
Per the Toronto Sun, “VanVleet, who famously and loyally followed his own advice to “Bet on Yourself” reaped the benefits signing the largest total value contract for any undrafted player in NBA history. In his four years in the NBA so far VanVleet has improved in every statistical category from year to year. Last season when he averaged career bests in scoring, assists, rebounds, steals, three-point field goal percentage. He also finished fourth in the league in steals per game.”
VanVleet, 6-foot, 195 pounds, averaged career highs of 17.6 points, 6.6 assists, 3.8 rebounds, 1.9 steals (fourth in the NBA) and 35.7 minutes in 54 games (all starts) last season. He shot .413 (319-773) from the floor, .390 (146-374) from three-point range and a career-best .848 (168-198) at the free throw line. VanVleet scored 20 or more points in 22 games, including a career-high 36 points Aug. 3 at Miami, and recorded eight double-doubles. In the postseason, he helped the Raptors reach the Eastern Conference Semifinals, averaging team highs of 19.6 points, 6.9 assists and 39.1 minutes in 11 contests.
“For me, ‘Bet on Yourself’ isn’t just a motto on a shirt. It really is at the centre of who I am and how I decide to live and to work,” VanVleet said. “I’m really happy to be staying in Toronto with my Raptors family, and to be able to continue with this great organization and to work towards our goal of our next championship.”
A native of Rockford, Illinois, VanVleet was a finalist for the 2018 NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award. He has appeared in 231 regular-season games (82 starts) during four seasons with Toronto (2016-20), averaging 10.5 points, 4.1 assists and 23.8 minutes. VanVleet helped the Raptors capture their first NBA championship in 2019 and owns averages of 9.6 points, 3.2 assists and 24.3 minutes in 48 career playoff appearances (12 starts).
More from the Suns: “On top of that he’s a perfect fit in Nick Nurse’s rotation which demands equal parts defensive tenacity, basketball IQ and an ability to shoot the basketball.”
VanVleet joined the Raptors as an undrafted free agent in 2016 following a four-year collegiate career at Wichita State (2012-16).
The Raptors have a number of key free agents; namely Fred VanVleet, Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol. And in that exact order, that’s the priority for the team in retaining them. Per multiple reports, VanVleet will be sticking around. Via the Toronto Star:
Fred VanVleet, the undrafted guard who made himself into an integral part of a championship team, has agreed to four-year, $85 million (all figures U.S.) contract, according to a source familiar with the deal.
It was a quick agreement – NBA’s free agency negotiations only began on Friday night — but one widely expected.
The 26-year-old native of Rockford, Ill. was by far Toronto’s off-season priority and locking him up for four years would set the Raptors up for a seamless transition at point guard from Kyle Lowry, who has year left on his contract, to VanVleet, who is almost a decade younger.
The Suns failed to make the playoffs this season, but won all eight of their games in the Disney NBA bubble, have a talented young core, and have every reason to be excited for next year’s prospects. Here’s the Arizona Republic mentioning two players they might want to consider targeting in free agency this offseason:
Around $20 million a year.
That’s what the Toronto Raptors could pay point guard Fred VanVleet to stay in O Canada and still have a “maximum salary slot for 2021,” the Toronto Star wrote last month.
Up to $16 million a year.
That’s how much Denver Nuggets power forward Jerami Grant could command as he can opt out of his contract, The Denver Post reported last week.
Phoenix is reportedly interested in both, but probably couldn’t land the two even if they made major moves starting with trading Kelly Oubre Jr.
And some more on VanVleet:
Talent should translate, but you’re asking someone who can be a starting point guard for several teams, including the one he’s on, to play behind veteran Ricky Rubio.
Could see VanVleet finishing games, though. He’d allow Booker to play off the ball and make teams pay for doubling Booker.
Wonder if Rubio would be willing to come off the bench?
Suns free agents this offseason include Aron Baynes and Dario Saric. When healthy, Baynes definitely helped. He’ll turn 34 years old this December, so if he does return it would likely be on a short-term contract.
The rest of the core roster — Booker, Rubio, Kelly Oubre, Deandre Ayton and friends — will be back.
The team is on the rise.
Although they fell short of reaching the Eastern Conference Finals, the Raptors are clearly one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference. Whether that will remain true next season largely depends on what happens in free agency this offseason. Here’s the Toronto Star on the squad and what team president Masai Ujiri has to say:
There are three key free agents — Fred VanVleet, Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka — and dealing with them will be the first task. A long-term contract for VanVleet and one-year deals with either of the other two should preserve salary-cap room for 2021 and address critical present needs, but the only hint Ujiri would give is that he considers everyone a priority.
“It’s all communication and how we relate to our players,” Ujiri said. “We are very confident with our culture and, yes, Fred is a priority, our bigs are a priority — Serge had an incredible run, Marc Gasol brings so much to our organization — and we have our young players coming up with Chris Boucher. Rondae (Hollis-Jefferson), too, is a free agent and he found a niche with our organization.
“That’s what our jobs are. We have to face them square on, and we will deal with them as we come, as we have in the past.
“We have to really attack this head on, and we know where their game is. We know how much they can improve. We try to project that as much as we can. We know where they have come from too, because we have gone through all these struggles with all these guys and we mutually appreciate that.” …
The NBA has set up a virtual scouting combine that includes some in-person workouts with trainers through October, but how much value that would have in debatable. And whether the Raptors would even keep their pick — No. 29 — is also uncertain. Using it in a trade package might make sense but, again, the unknown financial situation makes that difficult.
Forward Pascal Siakam isn’t going anywhere, and neither is guard Kyle Lowry. But Lowry, while still in possession of serious game, is 34 years old, so by 2021, VanVleet, should he stick around, will possibly have even more responsibility than before. Making this offseason all the more critical.
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.
The Toronto Raptors have re-signed guard Fred VanVleet to a multi-year contract.
The deal is reportedly a two-year, $18 million contract.
“We all know Fred’s personal motto is ‘Bet on Yourself.’ We know that Fred is no gamble – he’s hardworking, dedicated, and smart, and has been fantastic for us,” Raptors President Masai Ujiri said. “We’re thrilled he’ll be a big part of the Toronto Raptors for seasons to come.”
VanVleet was a finalist for the 2018 NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award after a season which saw him average a career-high 20.0 minutes, 8.6 points and 3.2 assists in 76 games.
He was a key contributor to the success of the Raptors’ reserve unit that ranked first in NBA scoring (44.3) after Jan. 1. VanVleet ranked first overall on the team with a .414 three-point shooting percentage and was 12th among reserves in the NBA with 108 three-pointers made. He scored a career-best 25 points on Jan. 28 vs. the Los Angeles Lakers, beginning a streak of nine consecutive games in double-figure scoring. He averaged 12.8 points during this stretch. In all, VanVleet has appeared in 113 regular-season games over two seasons with Toronto, averaging 6.8 points, 2.5 assists and shooting .410 (119-for-290) from three-point range.
A native of Rockford, Illinois, VanVleet joined the Raptors as an undrafted free agent in 2016 following a four-year collegiate career at Wichita State University. He appeared in 37 games during his rookie season, averaging 2.9 points and 0.9 assists. VanVleet also appeared in 16 NBA G League games with Raptors 905, averaging 16.9 points, 7.6 assists and shot .407 (22-for-54) from long distance. In a decisive Game 3 of the NBA G League Finals, VanVleet recorded a double-double (28 points and 14 assists) to help Raptors 905 claim its first championship title.