Team sources have confirmed that the Houston Rockets have reached an agreement to sign point guard Fred VanVleet the athlete Friday. Here’s what you need to know:
- The deal is a three-year contract, $130 million max, according to ESPN. Later on Friday, the Raptors and guard Dennis Schroeder agreed to a two-year, $26 million deal, according to ESPN.
- Van Fleet declined his player option with the Toronto Raptors on June 12.
- The 29-year-old has averaged 19.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 7.2 assists in his career to match his 1.8 in 69 games last season.
- VanVleet has spent his entire career in Toronto after the team signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Wichita State in 2016. He won an NBA title with the Raptors in 2019.
the athleteInstant Analysis:
What VanVleet brings to Houston
The addition of Fred Van Fleet, a well-established player and performer in the biggest position you need, is a massive shift in the Houston rebuilding schedule. Once he realized internally that a future without James Harden was the likely way to go, the front office quickly turned its attention toward VanVleet, a tough natural playmaker, and was poised to chase him hard.
In conversations between head coach Emi Odoka and general manager Rafael Stone, the need for winners and, more importantly, leadership in the locker room was emphasized. VanVleet arrives with experience, tenacity and poise – key factors to help develop young players like Jalen Green and Jabari Smith Jr. VanVleet instantly raises the floor and ceiling for this collection. – Echo
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What does VanVleet mean for the Raptors?
It may be an exaggeration that VanVleet was the heir apparent to Kyle Lowry, but it was a testament to the Raptors’ excellent developmental system. He went from undrafted to winning the 15th spot on the list to beating out a veteran for a backup spot on the championship team to starting to an All-Star.
Credit to VanVleet, who put in the work, but the Raptors helped him along the way. Now, the player who hit some of the biggest shots in a championship-winning game in the 2019 NBA Finals is gone. Corinne
What do the Raptors get at Schroeder?
This is not entirely appropriate. Schroeder shot just 32.4 percent on 3 doubles last year, and the Raptors are a team that has put the ball in the hands of their playmaking forwards, Pascal Siakam and Scotty Barnes, a lot. It gives the Raptors some much-needed explosiveness from the dribbling, but the geometry in the half court is going to be complicated. With VanVleet, a massively superior shooter, it really was.
The move means the Raptors’ purchasing power is severely limited the rest of the way. One wonders if Thaddeus Young, who hasn’t been officially waived yet, or Chris Boucher and some Washington draft royalty could be dangling for either Monty Morris or Dillon Wright, both of whom are on expired contracts. – Corinne
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the background
Named an All-Star in the 2021-22 season, VanVleet has career averages of 14.6 points, 3.3 rebounds and 5.3 assists. He’s averaged 36.8 minutes over the past four seasons.
the athleteJohn Hollinger recently rated VanVleet as the No. 3 free agent available this season based on the $BORD method of dropping contract value.
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