Fred VanVleet made a life-altering decision.
The former Toronto Raptors guard turned down a $22.8 million player option with the Raptors in the summer of 2023 and opted to hit free agency.
VanVleet then sign with the Houston Rockets on a lucrative three-year, $130 million contract.
“I felt the changing of the guard. As players, you kind of get hip to what direction the organization wants to go in here and there and everywhere, there were different kinds of contracts and it was just so much going on behind the scenes. So I just wanted to get to free agency so I could make them make a decision versus me doing it.” VanVleet said on The Draymond Green Show with Baron Davis.
Toronto tried hard to re-sign VanVleet but they were unwilling to offer him the kind of short-term money Houston did. When it came to signing with the Rockets, VanVleet said he spoke to Rockets coach Ime Udoka and general manager Rafael Stone who sold him on the vision.
“I could have went back. The talks didn’t go exactly how maybe I wanted them to go and then Houston comes along,” VanVleet said.
The writing was on the wall for the Raptors and it seemed like they were headed for a rebuild around Scottie Barnes, which ended up being the case. Four years removed from the Raptors championship, VanVleet knew it was a different situation in Toronto and it was time for a change.
“I just wanted to get back to having fun playing basketball. Post-championship Toronto, towards the end we weren’t really having fun. It got to that point and I was looking for just a new fresh start and I found it,” he said.
The decision ended up working out for both sides. VanVleet is the leader of a Rockets team on the rise, meanwhile Toronto has its new foundation set with Barnes, Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett.
Former Raptors center Christian Koloko makes Lakers debut
On Nov. 6, Christian Koloko made his Lakers debut and returned to NBA action.
He played in 13 minutes off the bench for the Lakers who called him up from the G League following an injury to Anthony Davis.
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