Fred VanVleet has officially declined his $22.8 million player option for 2023-24. It was coming for a while and it paves the way for him to earn more as a free agent this summer. The Raptors had an opportunity to trade him as well as other veterans ahead of last season’s trade deadline but chose not to. Instead, they doubled down on their roster by acquiring an upgrade at center in Jakob Poeltl. Toronto would go ahead and miss the playoffs following a loss in the Play-In Tournament to Chicago.
The Raptors are entering the 2023 offseason without a clear indication of which direction they want to go. What complicates that decision is that they owe the Spurs a Top 6 protected first-round pick in 2024, so they have no incentive to bottom out next season. However, the hiring of Darko Rajakovic, a first-time head coach known for player development, could suggest they’re open to the idea of a teardown to some degree.
According to Marc Stein, many around the league believe that VanVleet won’t return to Toronto this summer. There are a number of teams that could pursue him in free agency via cap space or a sign-and-trade, and he could be looking at an annual salary in the $30 million range. It’s possible that he still returns to the Raptors, but here are some teams that have been linked to VanVleet and how they could acquire him.