Toronto Raptors’ free agent point guard Fred VanVleet was looking forward to getting paid this offseason after enjoying his best season in the NBA by averaging a career best 17.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 6.6 assists per game.
Unfortunately, timing is everything and despite being one of the players leading the Raptors to the second best record in the East and third best record in the NBA, Fred’s chances of a big pay day don’t look promising. Currently making less than $10 million per year, VanVleet’s hopes for a multi-year contract paying more than $20 million per year may have been crushed by the league’s mounting losses due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Complicating the situation even more, the Raptors may not be willing to pay Fred the $15 to $18 million that most pundits are predicting he’s likely to be offered on the free agent market by teams like the Detroit Pistons. After signing Pascal Siakam to a max contract, the Raptors are looking to clear cap space to pursue Giannis Antetokounmpo next offseason and aren’t willing to sign long term contracts with any player other than OG Anunoby.
With the Miami Heat being the only non-losing team with cap space to sign VanVleet to big contract, there might be an opportunity for the Lakers to swoop in and steal Fred VanVleet in a sign-and-trade deal with Toronto. While the Lakers don’t have the cap space to sign Fred as a free agent, here are five reasons why they should pursue a sign-and-trade deal to send Kyle Kuzma, Danny Green, and their 2020 first round draft pick for VanVleet:
1. Championship Point Guard
Fred VanVleet proved in last year’s NBA Finals that he is a championship caliber point guard, averaging 14.0points, 2.2assists, and 2.7rebounds while shooting 44.4/40.0/85.7% and even receiving a vote for Finals MVP.
2. Proven Clutch Scorer
VanVleet was the star in the Raptors series clinching win in Game 6 of last year’s finals when he scored a career playoff best 22 points including 12 clutch points in the fourth quarter to lead Toronto to their first title.
3. Tough Relentless Defender
Fred VanVleet is not just a one-way player as he proved in last year’s Finals when he hounded and harrassed Warriors’ superstar Steph Curry in the Raptors 4–2 triumph forcing him into tough shots and turnovers.
4. Has Not Reached His Peak
Just a 26-year old who has improved every major stat in each of his four NBA seasons, VanVleet could give the Lakers a second young star to play with LeBron James and create a bridge to the future with Anthony Davis.
5. Trading Chip for Giannis
Giving VanVleet a 3-year contract at $20 million per year would help the Lakers’ chances of winning championships plus give them an valuable trading chip in a potential sign-and-trade deal for Giannis Antetokounmpo.
While Fred VanVleet wants to get paid, I believe he also wants to win. To me, that means he would likely be very interested if the Lakers were to approach him about a possible 3-year sign-and-trade deal for $60 million. Since Green’s $15 million expiring contract wouldn’t hurt their plans to chase Giannis, the Raptors would get a young star in Kuzma plus a first round draft pick for a player they were going to let walk for nothing.
Meanwhile, the Lakers would upgrade their roster with a talented two-way point guard who would fill their urgent need for a third scorer and second playmaker to complement superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
I’ve posted numerous articles on trade candidates whom the Lakers should consider targeting this offseason but have avoided looking at Fred VanVleet because he is free agent who is projected to attract offers in the $15 to 18 million per year range which is more than the $9.7 million non-taxpayer MLE, which is likely the max we could offer to an unrestricted free agent. Instead, I’ve focused my attention of high priced superstars on losing teams who might become candidates to be dumped to cut salaries and losses in a post coronavirus pandemic economy like Zach LaVine and Bradley Beal.
However, after a couple of writers including Lake Show Life’s Jonathan Kiernan started talking about the Lakers pursuing Fred VanVleet, I started looking at reasons why that might not be a bad idea. For one thing, VanVleet could be a better fit on the Lakers because he is not going to demand the touches and usage that a LaVine or Bradley would need. Also, he might be more attainable in a sign-and-trade than LaVine or Bradley would be in a trade because the Raptors realize they’re not going to get a superstar or raft of first round picks in return, which is exactly what the Bulls and Wizards would want for Zach or Bradley. As an undrafted 6′ 1″ combo guard, VanVleet is the typical overachiever as opposed to being the next superstar. He’s so underappreciated that the Raptors are unlikely to match a large salary for him despite the fact that he was a huge reason why Toronto won the championship. In fact, without him, despite all the injuries to the Warriors, the Raptors very likely would not have won that series.
What make VanVleet the perfect fit on the Lakers is his ability to fit their needs without taking away valuable touches for LeBron and AD because his usage last season was 22.0% compared to LaVine’s 31.2% or Beal’s 33.8%. With that limited usage, Fred was able to produce 17.6 points, 6.6 assists, and 3.8 rebounds per game. Slot him into the Lakers’ starting lineup and you suddenly have that desperately needed third scorer and second playmaker as well as a proven championship caliber clutch player who is still only 26-years old and has improved his major stats every year. Since he is a free agent, there’s no problem with the Lakers approaching him and offering him the opportunity to play with LeBron and AD and win more championships for as much money as he would be able to get from joining a losing team like the Hawks, Pistons, Suns, or Hornets, say $20 million per year for three years.
Toronto would be put in a tough position. They’re not going to pay Fred $20 million per year, which would guarantee they would be in the luxury tax soon as they gave Anunoby a raise to match Siakam. VanVleet could threaten to sign with one of the losing teams with cap space, which would mean the Raptors getting nothing, or Toronto could accept an offer of Kyle Kuzma, Danny Green, and our 2020 first round pick in a sign-and-trade. Suddenly, the Lakers could upgrade their starting lineup and roster for next year and add a valuable trading chip should Giannis actually become available the following summer. It would be a win-win-win deal for Fred, the Raptors, and the Lakers.