Raptors rumors: Fred VanVleet named team’s biggest “flight risk”

The Toronto Raptors have some big ecisions to make in free agency this offseason, as three porhected starters in Fred VanVleet, new trade addition Jakob Poeltl, and Gary Trent Jr. could all bolt when the offseason kicks off.

VanVleet is being courted by teams like the Orlando Magic, who believe that they are a veteran star point guard away from becoming a true menace in the Eastern Conference. VanVleet may also see the writing on the wall, as Toronto could be looking to turn the page.

The Scottie Barnes hype train is only getting harder to slow down, and Pascal Siakam is only going to get better as the team tries to maximize his prime. As a result, VanVleet might need to start selling his place in Toronto and looking for employment elsewhere in 2023.

VanVleet was named by Bleacher Report as the team’s biggest “flight risk” in the offseason, citing the fact that his contract is expected to reach nine figures and Toronto needing to re-sign impending free agents like Trent and Poeltl. This offseason will test how committed Toronto is to VanVleet as a franchise cornerstone.

Fred VanVleet named a “flight risk” for the Toronto Raptors.

While VanVleet was shooting well below 40% from the field, Wichita State’s finest has been red-hot from the field in the last few weeks. Since January 16, VanVleet is averaging 24.3 points and 7.5 assists per game with much better efficiency on the perimeter.

The Raptors are stuck between a rock and a hard place with regard to VanVleet. On one hand, the Raptors could avoid paying him a gargantuan sum and leaning into the Scottie Barnes era by not retaining him. On the other, Barnes may not be ready for full-time point guard duties. There is also a lack of quality Day One replacements in the draft or free agency.

VanVleet did sign with Klutch Sports, which throws an interesting wrinkle into his free agency. While Klutch clients like Trent and Nick Nurse signed long-term deals, this agency has a history of steering big-name players to big markets, especially Los Angeles. Will the Lakers or Clippers, who tried to trade for him, be interested?

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The trade for Poeltl shows that Ujiri is all-in on this current Raptors core with VanVleet at the center of it all. A move like that signals that the front office will likely try everything in their power to make sure that VanVleet is a member of this team in the future.