"It was time": VanVleet opens up on Raptors' rebuild
When Fred VanVleet left the Toronto Raptors in free agency last offseason, there were plenty of concerns from the fan base about the future direction of the team.
Departures of high-profile players are nothing new for Raptors fans, but Toronto seemed like they were getting in sticky territory with VanVleet unsigned heading into last summer.
With VanVleet departing for Houston on his own accord — and the franchise not getting anything for him in a trade prior to last year’s trade deadline — many fans were worried about how exactly the team would fare over the next season after losing their former All-Star point guard.
Turns out, not all that well.
Now 51 games into the 2023-24 campaign, Toronto sits at a record of just 18-33 and looks almost nothing like the team that VanVleet last played for.
After losing VanVleet, OG Anunoby, and Pascal Siakam over just seven months, Toronto’s core has been completely turned on its head in a little over half of a season.
VanVleet’s Rockets are in Toronto today, although he’s missing the game with an adductor strain that’s keeping him out of the lineup.
The 29-year-old point guard has averaged 16.5 points, 8.2 assists, and 3.7 rebounds in 47 games this season with his new squad.
Talking to reporters at Scotiabank Arena, VanVleet seemed to recognize the inevitability of a Toronto rebuild once the team struggled out of the gate this season. The franchise’s front office has made four trades this season, one more than the total over the final two years of VanVleet’s time with the franchise.
“That’s really the only way it was ever gonna go… it was just a matter of when. You set off on that timeline and on that trajectory, this is what it looks like,” VanVleet said of the high level of turnover in the team. “It’s hard for people that are fans of the team… people on the team that were heavily invested in that group, but I think it was time to turn over a new leaf and they’re making all the right moves.”
And while his connection remains strong to Toronto, even one of the team’s all-time great players feels like his connection to the team has changed with so many former teammates being moved out over the year.
“[I was keeping tabs on the team] a lot more before all the trades, obviously,” VanVleet said. “Just such a different team now.”
But the connection to the city isn’t completely lost, as his four-year-old son, Fred VanVleet Jr., keeps bugging him to watch the team on his days off from playing.
Tipoff is set for 7:30 ET between the Raptors and the Rockets tonight.
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