Possible Free Agent destinations for Fred VanVleet

Fred VanVleet’s career has been nothing short of inspirational. He came into the NBA as an undrafted player, and has clawed his way to All Star status. He was rewarded with a four-year $85 million contract by the Toronto Raptors ahead of the 2020-2021 season, but declined his player option in June. VanVleet is now a free agent, and we’ll look at a few teams that might sign the talented guard.

The Suns are expected to exit the Chris Paul business early in the offseason, which would leave them with a need at the point guard position. It’s going to be interesting to see if general manager James Jones can pull off the necessary machinations to land VanVleet, since it’s contingent on other things happening first.

It’s no secret that the Lakers are looking to make determined pushes towards a title as long as LeBron James and Anthony Davis make up their core. They were able to patch together their backcourt as the season went along in 2022-2023, but VanVleet would represent a major talent upgrade. He’s also someone that wouldn’t back down from the Los Angeles spotlight.

The Mavericks are in an awkward situation heading into the offseason. They weren’t able to retain Jalen Brunson last summer, and are now faced with the unenviable decision of determining whether Kyrie Irving is a good long-term fit. It’s not crazy to think that Dallas may eschew the unpredictability of Irving for the reliability of VanVleet.

The Jazz appeared to be destined for a moribund campaign last year, as all signs pointed towards them tanking for a premier draft pick. A funny thing happened along the way, as Utah was actually much more competitive than anyone would’ve guessed. Maybe they lean into that ahead-of-schedule thinking by bringing a player like VanVleet in during the prime of his career.

The most recent NBA coaching cycle has been an entertaining game of musical chairs. When the jingle stopped, former Raptors coach Nick Nurse ended up with the 76ers. No one knows VanVleet better than Nurse, and the two could bring a fresh energy that Philadelphia would seem to need to get over the hump.

There’s no denying that Chicago has talent on their roster, but it’s left them in an undesirable middle-of-the-pack position in the NBA. They could continue to run it back as is by resigning center Nikola Vucevic, but there’s a chance they might get creative. Bringing VanVleet, a native of Chicago, back home might give the Bulls a different enough look to improve their team.

Washington would seem to be a longshot to bring someone like VanVleet in, as it looks like their goal is to shed salary over the next couple of years. Be that as it may, bringing a point guard in with VanVleet’s steadiness might help unlock the rest of the players on the roster.

Even though the Magic weren’t ever in the playoff hunt, there’s no doubting their improvement a year ago. Orlando is in an interesting spot, as a cluster of young guards are trying to separate themselves from one another. Rather than continuing to evaluate that group, maybe Orlando brings in VanVleet to cement that area for a team on the rise.