VanVleet opens up on toughest goodbye after leaving Raptors
When Fred VanVleet departed from the Toronto Raptors earlier this summer, it represented a franchise-altering decision from one of the organization’s foundational pieces.
VanVleet had spent his entire seven-year NBA career with the Raptors, signing with the team as an undrafted free agent in 2016 and winning the NBA title in 2019.
And in an interview with Houston radio station SportsTalk790 this week, VanVleet spoke about the hardest goodbye when he had to let his former team know he intended to sign with the Rockets on a multi-year deal.
“Probably [team president] Masai [Ujiri], just making that call, having that conversation,” VanVleet said.
Last season, Ujiri had a possibility of moving VanVleet in a trade due to his expiring contract but opted to keep the point guard through the remainder of the season. It didn’t quite work out in the team’s favour, however, as they missed the playoffs and ultimately saw VanVleet walk in free agency.
Toronto had intended to re-sign VanVleet to a new contract, but he opted for the three-year, $128.5 million deal with Houston that was far more than the Raptors were willing to pay.
“Could we have traded Fred [VanVleet] at the trade deadline? If that was a failure, we take responsibility for it, but sometimes it also depends on opportunity and respect for the player, and we respect Fred,” Ujiri said at Monday’s media day.
VanVleet earned his first All-Star appearance with Toronto in 2022 and became one of the most popular players in franchise history.
“Those guys are family,” VanVleet added of his Toronto teammates. “Those relationships will be lifelong. And we’ve developed great bonds over the years. And obviously, when you win the [championship] with anybody, that team and those people that was around for those years, those bonds will never go away.”
VanVleet’s words echo his goodbye to the Toronto fanbase after signing with Houston in July.
“Words can’t do justice to how thankful I am to the city that watched me grow from a young kid praying for a chance to a NBA CHAMPION, all-star, and a father of 3! I am forever indebted to the franchise that gave me a shot when no one else would,” VanVleet wrote in a statement to his Instagram page on July 2.
VanVleet’s full interview with SportsTalk790 is below: