Fred VanVleet eyeing huge free agency payday with latest move

Fred VanVleet is one of the great NBA success stories in the league. The four-year player at Wichita State went undrafted in the 2016 NBA Draft, signed on with the Toronto Raptors for Summer League, and earned a roster spot heading into the season.

VanVleet’s strong play earned him a second contract with the Raptors, and in 2021-22 he earned a spot on the Eastern Conference All-Star roster. VanVleet is second in franchise history in 3-pointers, fourth in assists, and will pass Jonas Valanciunas for eighth in career points in his next game.

Unfortunately, there is more news that only adds to the growing expectation that VanVleet will wear another team’s jersey next season.

VanVleet can choose not to exercise his player option for next season, a $22.82 million option that is the last in the four-year deal he signed in 2020. If he does, he will become an unrestricted free agent, and will now be represented in negotiations by a new agent.

NBA Insider Marc Stein reported in his Substack newsletter that VanVleet plans to hire Klutch Sports as his new representation ahead of free agency. Klutch is, of course, the sports agency begun by LeBron James’ longtime friend and partner Rich Paul, and it represents a growing number of NBA players.

Will the Toronto Raptors trade potential Klutch client Fred VanVleet?

Klutch is already a major player in the Toronto Raptors’ organization, as they represent OG Anunoby, Gary Trent Jr, and head coach Nick Nurse. They are known for being hard negotiators to help their clients get paid, and get paid where they want to play. Klutch was involved in getting Anthony Davis to Los Angeles and a number of other tough contract negotiations.

Suppose VanVleet was planning to negotiate a reasonable deal to stay with Toronto this summer. In that case, one assumes he would have kept his current representation and rolled into free agency with a contract to stick around simply a formality.

Perhaps he still will, but hiring Klutch signals that VanVleet is hoping to land a huge payday, and potentially with the Raptors.

If VanVleet is still on the Raptors come this summer, they will have an advantage in re-signing him, as they can offer more money than any other team. Whether they want to is another question, as their team will only get more expensive.

Pascal Siakam is up for a new contract in the summer of 2024, the same year that OG Anunoby can hit the open market as well.

Trade rumors are swirling around the Raptors because they currently have a lot of money invested in a team that is 22-27 and has no clear path to becoming a contender in the Eastern Conference. Do they want to re-sign VanVleet to a lofty number and go into the luxury tax for a core that hasn’t proven it can break through?

Even if they decide that they do, VanVleet will be an unrestricted free agent and can sign anywhere with cap space. The Orlando Magic are a prime suitor, a team with a built-out frontcourt and a need in the backcourt. They’ll be at the front of the line of suitors this summer.

VanVleet hiring Klutch Sports means he is a very real flight risk this summer. If the two options this summer are to let VanVleet walk for nothing, or pay through the nose for one piece of an expensive puzzle that isn’t a contender, wouldn’t the Raptors be motivated to make a move now?

The Raptors could trade VanVleet to a team that wants to re-sign him this summer, getting back value for a player who can help a lot of other teams. VanVleet and Klutch will obviously influence that decision, as a team trading for VanVleet will want some level of assurance he is willing to re-sign there.