The Toronto Raptors lost Fred VanVleet on Friday to the Houston Rockets but managed to quickly replace him in NBA free agency. Per Woj, Masai Ujiri has signed former Los Angeles Lakers guard Dennis Schroder to a two-year, $26 million deal to be the team's next starting point guard.

While Schroder isn't VanVleet in terms of production, he's an exciting player who brings a versatile skillset to the table. The German can score at all three levels, has exhilarating speed both in transition and when getting downhill, and has shown the ability to be a solid playmaker.

In 2022-23, Schroder played 66 games for the Lakers, posting averages of 12.6 points, 4.5 assists, and 2.5 rebounds per night. After a brutal first spell in LA, he redeemed himself and proved to be an important part of their run to the Western Conference Finals.

A bigger role will certainly be in the cards for Schroder with the Raptors after VanVleet took $130 million from the Rockets. With minimal depth behind FVV, there is no question Schroder is going to step in and be the top option at PG.

Schroder broke into the Association in 2013 and has spent time with numerous teams, including the Atlanta Hawks, Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Boston Celtics. He's been a second-unit and first-unit player throughout his career, therefore Schroder is familiar with both situations.

Raptors fans won't be happy to see VanVleet go, but Schroder isn't a bad option in his place. With Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby still in town as well, Toronto could still be competitive in 2023-24, but probably in the play-in tournament range.