After a disappointing finish to the 2022-23 season, the Raptors were faced with a lot of questions marks.
One of those questions marks was what was going to happen with unrestricted free agent Fred VanVleet.
VanVleet ultimately decided to leave the Raptors and join the Houston Rockets. He signed a three-year, $130 million deal.
He is now embracing his new role with Houston and trying to help them get back into the playoff mix.
Meanwhile for the Raptors since VanVleet’s departure, the franchise has gone through major changes.
They first traded O.G. Anunoby to the New York Knicks and then dealt Pascal Siakam to the Indiana Pacers.
The Raptors finally chose to rebuild around Scottie Barnes.
VanVleet recently spoke about his ending with the Raptors and said he felt that change was coming via Eric Koreen of The Athletic:
“You’ve got to have some type of foresight and vision (to see where the situation is headed). … You’ve got to be able to look ahead and think ahead. It’s not like I absolutely knew (it was ending last year), but you could sense it — up to the point where it was like, ‘OK, do I just sign the deal (with the Raptors) knowing that I’m not going to make it through this deal (as a Raptor before being traded away) to come back, or do I have another situation?’ And luckily I had this situation. I think everybody would agree that it was a good deal for me at the time.”
VanVleet made a smart decision for his career. Not only did he get paid, but he also put himself in a position where he can win.
As for the Raptors, they are not looking to win now and are building for the future.
VanVleet and Rockets blow out Raptors
The Raptors were blown out by VanVleet and the Rockets 135-106.
VanVleet finished with 10 point and 6 assists against his former team.
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