Fred VanVleet’s latest comments prove re-signing him was impossible

The Toronto Raptors had to stomach the loss of Fred VanVleet this offseason, as he was tempted by a max contract with the Houston Rockets that will pay him in excess of $40 million per season for three more years. This brings an end to an unfortunate final chapter in his Raptors tenure.

Toronto was struggling to play as a unified team last season, as it became fairly obvious that the old guard of veterans and a new bunch of younger players were often fighting against one another on the floor. VanVleet confirmed that last year’s roster was not built to get along.

“There was a mix of guys that had been there, new guys trying to prove themselves, and it didn’t work out,” VanVleet said via “The Pivot” podcast. “It wasn’t a great fit; for whatever reason, the chemistry didn’t click, and that’s probably the most I can say about that.”

VanVleet saw what we were all seeing. The mesh of young and old was not working, and that played a part in dividing the team. Knowing the core didn’t work as was constructed, running it back with VanVleet on a more expensive deal would have led to a rerun of last season.

Fred VanVleet confirms friction on 2022-23 Toronto Raptors.

Reports emerged that claimed VanVleet was getting frustrated with some of the younger players on the team, and he let them know about his feelings in a way that some of the less experienced Raptors did not appreciate. Many of the young players VanVleet had beef with aren’t going anywhere.

Perhaps VanVleet saw the writing on the wall, as the Raptors haven’t exactly shied away from declaring Gary Trent Jr. and Scottie Barnes as huge parts of their future going forward. The Raptors failed to get VanVleet to secede shots to them last year, and bringing him back on a max contract would have made delegating even harder.

VanVleet must be aware that he is embarking on a similar challenge in Houston, as that team is littered with young players. VanVleet is either fine with being the adult in the room for a team that has lacked that in the last few years, or he is willing to stomach more chemistry issues for the sake of his paycheck. No matter what the reason is, VanVleet saw fit to bring an end to his Raptors career.