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Fred VanVleet recently declined his player option with the Toronto Raptors and officially became an unrestricted free agent for 2023 NBA free agency. With the Philadelphia 76ers potentially losing James Harden, VanVleet could be a replacement if the Sixers were interested. However, rumors around the NBA indicate that the Sixers are not actually looking at Fred VanVleet, reports Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer.
“Philadelphia, sources said, is not expected to target Fred VanVleet in the event Harden departs via free agency, despite the obvious connection to new Sixers head coach Nick Nurse, who won a championship with VanVleet in Toronto in 2019.”
The Sixers are still in the running to keep James Harden; nevertheless, Fred VanVleet is apparently not going to be the replacement if Harden leaves. Rumors are rumors at the end of the day, so really anything could end up happening in the NBA for the rest of this offseason. Still, it might be prudent to expect Fred VanVleet to end up elsewhere besides the Sixers.
In general, the Sixers have a huge offseason ahead of them with James Harden's free agency and the new hiring of Nick Nurse. Nurse is going to look to come in and establish his own culture, which is why Fred VanVleet would be an intriguing acquisition. The two won an NBA championship together with the Raptors in 2019, although that was largely in thanks to the presence of Kawhi Leonard.
For now, any rumors will have to be quelled for reality as the NBA offseason rages on. A good deadline to expect some movement by would be the NBA Draft next week on June 22nd.
