The Toronto Raptors are just a few days away from a franchise-defining free agency period, as names like Fred VanVleet could test the open market. Masai Ujiri has been open about saying that he didn’t enjoy last year’s team, but he still thinks this core is good enough to win now.
According to Josh Lewenberg of TSN, the Raptors are prioritizing bringing back both VanVleet and Jakob Poeltl in free agency despite the possibility of both of them coming for $50 million per year in salary between them in 2023-24 and beyond. That is quite an expensive gamble to take.
Bringing back Poeltl makes all the sense in the world, as he cost quite a heavy price to acquire at the trade deadline, fills a need, and helped the Raptors’ defense play at a near-elite level. VanVleet is the question mark, as the timelines between the two parties don’t seem to be matching up.
The Raptors need to be made aware of the fact that retaining VanVleet on this team has some serious flaws that could completely ruin Toronto if the worst-case scenario comes to light. A very vocal section of this fanbase getting infuriated won’t even crack the top three reasons for concern.
3 reasons the Raptors’ plan for Fred VanVleet won’t work.
3. VanVleet is expensive and aging
The Raptors’ front office seems to think that VanVleet is an ascending asset that will continue to age like a fine wine. Just become other smaller point guards like Steph Curry and Chris Paul have managed to age relatively gracefully doesn’t mean that VanVleet is going to follow a similar path.
VanVleet’s decline may have started last season, as he followed up an All-Star appearance with a field goal percentage below 40% and several late-game mistakes that cost Toronto wins. His on-court production dipped, and he showed off that production less frequently.
Toronto Raptors PG Fred VanVleet is aging and injured.
On top of his less dominant statistical numbers, VanVleet is fresh off a very rough two-year stretch in which he has constantly struggled with injuries. It was also clear during the last few games of the season that he was playing through some injuries that limited his effectiveness.
Injuries do not suddenly stop happening once players get older, especially with smaller players that don’t have the physical stature needed to thrive into their 30s. Investing in VanVleet at this stage of his career is just one bad break away from some serious disaster.
2. The bench will suffer
Lewenberg mentioned that Toronto is expected to clear salary elsewhere in order to afford both Poeltl and VanVleet. Apparently, this front office thinks that a team with one of the worst benches in the league last season will somehow be better with less bench scoring.
While trading Chris Boucher for a cheaper alternative could make sense, that may not be a path that Toronto wants to pursue. Otto Porter Jr. is not going to be viewed as an asset that is worth much of anything on the open market, and the team still has no viable backup point guard.
The Toronto Raptors won’t give Fred VanVleet a bench.
While Nick Nurse came under fire for playing VanVleet for nearly 40 minutes every single night and potentially exacerbating his injuries, he didn’t have much of a choice. There were no viable alternatives. This will continue if the Raptors use up all their financial flexibility on him.
While trading Pascal Siakam or OG Anunoby could help the Raptors get a tremendous return that fixes this issue, Ujiri has reportedly been saying no to trades centered around both of these players. Expect more of the same bench issues from the 2022-23 season to carry over.
1. It limits Scottie Barnes
The way the Raptors are handling Barnes is one of the most confusing things they have done in quite some time. Using him as the fourth or fifth option made sense early in his career, but wasn’t this supposed to be the make-or-break third season where he really gets turned loose?
Are they just supposed to tell VanVleet, who will be back on a nine-figure contract, just to shoot fewer shots? Why would he do that? Furthermore, Siakam, Anunoby, and Trent are all in contract years. They won’t be willing to ease up on their production and hurt their financial future so Barnes is taken care of.
The Toronto Raptors must develop Scottie Barnes.
VanVleet is a productive player at his best, but how are the Raptors expected to make sure Barnes can gain confidence and show off his skills when the sluggish pace at which VanVleet runs the offense will continue to be a problem? Can Darko Rajakovic completely change his offensive mindset?
Barnes is going to need an extension in the future, and it might rub his camp the wrong way if Toronto continues to let VanVleet steer the offensive ship. The timeline for VanVleet just is not aligned with that of a Raptors team looking to rebrand themselves under young stars like Barnes and Gradey Dick as well as a new head coach.