NBA free agency 2023: Fred VanVleet’s possible destinations

After an exciting end of the NBA season, with the Denver Nuggets winning the Championship and a much-anticipated NBA Draft with Victor Membayamba being the No. 1 overall pick, now it’s turn for more excitement with the free agency.

This year there will be lots of interesting players that will probably be packing and moving to another franchise, and one of them is Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet.

The Illinois-bred player, who has been playing for the Raptors since 2016, has declined his $22.8 million player option for 2023-24 to try to earn more as a free agent this summer.

There are a few teams that could try to reach an agreement with him in free agency via cap space or a sign-and-trade, but seeing him play for the Raptors next campaign is also a possibility.

Where could VanVleet end up playing?

The Houston Rockets could be an option for VanVleet if he’s looking for money and status in a team, as the franchise has been through two difficult seasons since James Harden’s departure.

Houston recently hired former Boston Celtics head coach Ime Udoka and the team has a good group of young players, such as Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr., Alperen Sengun, and Kevin Porter Jr. VanVleet could be the talented veteran player to guide them to a brighter future.

The Dallas Mavericks are also interested in the player and probably offer him a better chance of fighting for the NBA Championship.

If the Mavs don’t re-sign Kyrie Irving, who is also a free agent this summer, there could be a good chance of seeing VanVleet wearing the Mavericks jersey. A duo with Luka Doncic could be explosive at America Airlines Center.

What about the option of staying in Toronto? It wouldn’t be a shock if he finally decided to stay. Knowing the city and the team for so long is also a plus that is not often that much appreciated.

VanVleet made some comments during the last campaign where he seemed to value the love from the fans and feeling comfortable in Toronto and those are factors that could be making the difference in the end.

Since the 2019-20 season, he has been the team’s starting point guard, a position where he has excelled, averaging 19.3 points, 6.7 assists, and 4.1 rebounds.

While they are far from competing for the Championship, the Orlando Magic could offer VanVleet a lucrative deal this offseason by previously creating enough cap space.

The team has a young core with some talented players. VanVleet would be a great addition, although they wouldn’t be considered among the top teams in the league. But if the player wants a big payday and the chance of running the offense due to his experience and talent, Orlando could be an option.