The Toronto Raptors have agreed to a two-year, $18 million deal with talented and young restricted free agent Fred VanVleet.
How do we know this? Thanks to some crafty reporting.
Restricted free agent Fred VanVleet has agreed to a two-year, $18 million deal to return to Toronto, league sources tell Yahoo.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 1, 2018
Fred VanVleet was a finalist for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year Award last season. Having played in 76 regular season games, he finished averaging 8.6 points, 3.2 assists and 2.4 rebounds in 20 minutes per game.
While most everyone's focus was on Paul George, and then on LeBron James' massive decision, moves like this one are also important. Sure, the Raptors didn't go out and sign some mega-star or anything, but VanVleet is only 24, has improved and projects to be a valuable talent for the foreseeable future.
There have been rumors this offseason that every Toronto player is available for trades. Despite those reports, there hasn't been much action from the Kings of the North. This is the first huge move, since firing their head coach, the Raptors have made.
Hey, every NBA franchise has to start somewhere. Given that almost all aren't going to go out and land a top-three player, this is a good a place to start as anywhere. Also, good on VanVleet, as he basically bet on himself and earned 18 million dollars in the process.
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