Now that the offseason has arrived for the Raptors, their attention will turn to re-signing Fred VanVleet, who will be one of the top names on the free agent market, writes Doug Smith of The Toronto Star. After making a name for himself by hitting big shots in last year’s playoffs, VanVleet became a full -time starter and turned in his best NBA season, averaging career highs with 17.6 points, 3.8 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game.
At 26, the fourth-year guard will be part of the Raptors’ foundation if he stays in Toronto, and he said he had plenty of time to consider his situation while the league was on hiatus.
“Being at home for that long, it gives you a lot of time to reflect on things,” VanVleet said. “I’m sure — like all of us, everybody’s jobs were in jeopardy — I wasn’t sure what was going to happen with the league. I wasn’t sure about next year with the cap and what the numbers would look like, so it put a lot of things in perspective. It changed the way you would view everything and makes you appreciate things a lot more. … I’m not looking ahead, or I was never looking ahead all year. I was focused on trying to win a championship with this team. And we got the opportunity to come back here in the bubble and give ourselves a chance, and that’s all you can ask for.”
There’s more on the Raptors:
- Toronto faces difficult decisions on free agents Marc Gasol and Serge Ibaka, notes Bobby Marks of ESPN. Injuries limited Gasol to 44 games this year and he averaged a career-low 7.5 PPG. Gasol will turn 36 in January, but Marks expects him to have a future in the league, probably making $6-8MM less than his $25.5MM salary this season. Ibaka averaged a career-best 15.4 PPG and Marks believes he will get offers at the $9.3MM midlevel exception from playoff teams without cap space. He mentions the Mavericks and Trail Blazers as possibilities, but guesses that Toronto may offer a one-year deal at $18MM to keep Ibaka and preserve cap space for the summer of 2021.
- Another important decision involves OG Anunoby, who will be eligible for a rookie scale extension, Marks adds in the same story. Anunoby has a free-agent cap hold for 2021 of $11.7MM, and any extension above that number will eat into the team’s cap space next year. He will become a restricted free agent next summer if he’s not extended, and Marks points out that his value could be much higher by then.
- Pascal Siakam never rediscovered his shot once the shutdown ended, which was a big factor in the series loss to Boston, notes Andrew Lopez of ESPN. Siakam said he accepts “a lot of the blame” for the defeat, but Kyle Lowry had a prediction for his teammate. “I think this is only going to make him a better basketball player, a better man, a better everything,” Lowry said. “I would not be surprised to see him come back even more hungry and destroying people.”
Siakam needs to prove he is a lot better than he showed in the bubble if he wants any star players to want to team up with him.
Apparently he didn’t even shoot a basketball for three months before the bubble so he was rusty and it showed.
Darius Miles 2.0
The Raptors desperately need a player that can score in isolation/create their own shot in the half court. They’re one of the best teams scoring in transition but good defenses like the Celtics shut that down in the playoffs.
Yep. Exactly this.
Call Demare back
I really cannot see Gasol getting a 17-19M offer… probably he has a future in the league, but he would be lucky to get much more than the minimum after his performance in the bubble.
Agreed. He looks like a minimum signing at this point. He can still be useful, but the Raps need scoring and the big guy doesn’t provide that anymore.
Raptors 2nd round exit，players stock price goes down
VanVleet 4 years 110 million
Ibaka 3 years 50 million Team option
OG extension 4 years 60 million
I don’t get the Anunoby talk, but goodness he is more valuable than Gasol or Ibaka. Paywall article.
Why offer Ibaka $19mil if he’s only getting offers in the $9mil range?
Gasol is not the type to like the camp atmosphere, but $18.5mil multiyears? Only a few teams could afford that much, much less want him for that over others.
Maybe a reporting error.
Gasol is gone. You can’t pay him and Ibaka. Warriors will sign Gasol, he’ll be happy there. Makes sense Portland and Dallas would want Ibaka. Raptors want to stay on top. They need to resign him. Siakam did not step up. He should of been their leading scorer every gm. I’m not a fan of 6’ backcourt. Not in today’s game. VanVleet had a solid yr. Raptors got decisions to make.
Why would the Warriors sign Marc Gasol? He’s a big lumbering immobile Center who’s 36 years old. He used to be awesome but now you may have noticed he didn’t get off the bench much in that double overtime and fourth quarter the other night.
Serge Ibaka is a different story. He still has game. I think Marc Gasol is looking at a minimum deal.., then maybe the Warriors. Mid-level exception, no way.
That’s what chasing a ring means. Minimum salary for opportunities. They need a Center. At this point he’s better than Bogut and all other centers they had. While on their run. Gasol is a smart player. He’d give them exactly what they needed. A vet who knows his place and how to win. At a position of need. That’s not easy to find. He’s perfect for 2-3 yrs.