Jakob Poeltl agreed to sign with the Toronto Raptors in NBA Free Agency, inking a four-year, $80 million contract to stay in Toronto. However, Fred VanVleet left Toronto and agreed to a three-year, $130 million deal with the Houston Rockets. Poeltl commented on VanVleet's departure and revealed how he feels about it after re-signing with Toronto, per Raptors beat reporter Josh Lewenberg.

“Poeltl said he & FVV spoke during free agency, told me that Fred was still unsure where he was headed when Jak made his decision to return to Toronto. ‘Obviously, I would’ve liked to keep playing with Fred… but we still have a really talented team… I’m not too worried about it,'” Lewenberg shared on Twitter.

VanVleet's Raptors departure

Toronto didn't have the best 2022-23 season following previous success in past years. Although some reports hinted that VanVleet could ultimately return to the Raptors, he ended up leaving the team. One has to wonder if Poeltl would have re-signed with the Raptors if he knew with absolute certainty that VanVleet was going to leave.

VanVleet had interest in a reunion with the Raptors, league sources told ClutchPoints' Brett Siegel. The Rockets' massive offer ended up luring the talented guard to Houston, though. Some fans claimed Houston overpaid for VanVleet, but the fact is that the Rockets added a key veteran who will help with the development of Houston's young players.

Meanwhile, Jakob Poeltl will try to help the Raptors compete during the 2023-24 campaign, something that will be challenging given the immense amount of talent in the Eastern Conference.