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VanVleet discusses reports of his frustrations with Raptors' youth

Colton Pankiw
Colton Pankiw
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Jul 8 2023, 2:58 pm
VanVleet discusses reports of his frustrations with Raptors' youth
Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Shortly after choosing to leave the Toronto Raptors in favour of the Houston Rockets in free agency, reports came out that Fred VanVleet and Pascal Siakam had grown frustrated with younger players on the Raptors roster this past season.

Van Vleet addressed these reports onĀ The Pivot Podcast, and while he didn’t flat-out deny it, he suggested it has been blown out of proportion.

“I think, like anything, it’s blown out of proportion,” VanVleet said. “The thing about nowadays, if you don’t speak to a rumour, it becomes true. What I will say is, for a team that had been one of the top three winningest teams in a decade from 2010 to 2020, the Raptors, having a season that we had just got to the fifth seed a year before. It was a letdown for everybody. And just the same way when you win championships, and everybody’s level raises, and everybody gets paid, and everyone gets accolades, when you underperform, it’s the same. Coach gets fired, starting point guards no longer there. Your best player on the team is now in trade rumours every day. It goes hand in hand.

“There was a mix of guys that have been there, new guys trying to prove themselves. It didn’t work out. It wasn’t a great fit for whatever reason, the chemistry didn’t click. That’s probably the most I can say about that.”

Many noticed that VanVleet and Scottie Barnes had unfollowed each other on Instagram recently, although VanVleet did refollow the 21-year-old. While it may be true that there was some discontent in the Raptors locker room this past season, it doesn’t appear to be anything malicious.

While there was hope from the Raptors fanbase that VanVleet would choose to re-sign in Toronto, he instead joined the Rockets on a massive three-year contract worth nearly $130 million. The 29-year-old averaged 19.3 points and 7.2 assists through his 69 games this past season.

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