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Toronto Raptors: Five candidates to steal Fred VanVleet this free agency

By Mike Bossetti

Toronto Raptors - Fred VanVleet (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images)
Toronto Raptors - Fred VanVleet (Photo by Vaughn Ridley/Getty Images) /
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TORONTO, ON – APRIL 8 – Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet (23) tangles up with Orlando Magic center Bismack Biyombo (11) in the 1st half as the Toronto Raptors host the Orlando Magic in Air Canada Centre, Toronto, April 8. April 8, 2018. Bernard Weil/Toronto Star (Bernard Weil/Toronto Star via Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON – APRIL 8 – Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet (23) tangles up with Orlando Magic center Bismack Biyombo (11) in the 1st half as the Toronto Raptors host the Orlando Magic in Air Canada Centre, Toronto, April 8. April 8, 2018. Bernard Weil/Toronto Star (Bernard Weil/Toronto Star via Getty Images) /

Orlando Magic

Unlike the previously mentioned teams on this list, the Orlando Magic absolutely NEED a point guard. After trading Elfrid Payton to the Phoenix Suns at the trade-deadline last season, the team cut ties with “dime dropping” Shelvin Mack.

The team’s best point guard is currently D.J. Augustin. Of course FVV is not the only option available, but he does make a ton of sense.

Orlando is bad and young, any point guard they add should be added for the future, not for next season. At just 24 years-old VanVleet offers the potential to grow with the rest of the Magic’s roster, providing an option for many years to come.

Regarding fit, it’s tough to picture a more ideal player than Fred VanVleet. The Magic are a big team with tons of length at positions three-five. Those characteristics can help cover for VanVleet who is undersized at the position.

What the Magic need is spacing and shooting. Last season, the team performed better with Augustin as the team’s lead guard rather than Payton for this exact reason. FVV is a career 41-percent shooter, one of the best percentages in the entire NBA and far better than the rest of this year’s young point guards.

Yes, other young point guards like Dante Exum and Marcus Smart provide competition, but their might not be a better fit for the Orlando Magic than Fred VanVleet.