Raptors Rumors: VanVleet, Trent, McDaniels, Anunoby

Although Fred VanVleet and the Raptors previously agreed to shelve contract extension talks during the season, the two sides appear open to revisiting those discussions after the team’s season is over, according to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports.

VanVleet’s market is cloudier now than it was in the fall, given his struggles this season — his .376 FG% and .328 3PT% are both well below his career averages. Prior to free agency, he’s eligible for an extension worth up to about $114MM over four years, and he had seemingly outplayed that sort of deal entering this season. Is that still the case?

According to Fischer, people around the league still think VanVleet can get $30-35MM per year on his next contract, though it remains to be seen how many years he’ll be offered. As Fischer observes, former Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry signed a three-year, $100MM extension with the franchise prior to the 2017/18 season at age 31 and that contract worked out very well for Toronto — Lowry earned two All-Star nods and won a title during those three years. VanVleet will be 29 when his current contract expires this summer.

If VanVleet and the Raptors don’t agree to an extension by June 30 and he becomes a free agent, look for the Suns and Magic to be among his suitors, league sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic. Orlando may be better positioned than Phoenix to aggressively pursue VanVleet, since the Suns don’t currently project to have any cap space.

Here’s more on the Raptors:

• While it remains to be seen which direction Toronto will take at the trade deadline, people around the NBA expect them to be active one way or another, Fischer reports. “What they’re not gonna do is be in the middle,” one Western Conference executive told Yahoo Sports.
• If the Raptors look to buy, they’ll likely be focused on upgrading their perimeter play-making and interior rim protection, per Fischer.
• Veteran swingman Gary Trent Jr. is, by a wide margin, the likeliest Raptor to be dealt, according to Fischer, who likens Trent’s situation to Norman Powell‘s in 2021, when Toronto traded away Powell for Trent. At the time, Powell and Trent were both in contract years, but the team felt more comfortable investing in a short-term deal with Trent than a long-term deal for Powell.
• Sources tell Fischer that the Raptors have shown interest in Hornets forward Jalen McDaniels, who is headed for unrestricted free agency this summer. People around the league believe McDaniels’ next contract could be in the neighborhood of $10MM per year, while Trent may be seeking $25MM annually, Fischer adds.
• Referring to forward OG Anunoby as a “known favorite” of Raptors president Masai Ujiri, Fischer suggests it might take a Dejounte Murray-esque haul (multiple unprotected first-round picks) to pry Anunoby away from Toronto. “If the Raptors made him available for trade right now, every single team is going to call,” a general manager said to Yahoo Sports.
• It’s possible the Raptors could become open to moving Anunoby if they’re unsure about their ability to sign him beyond his current contract (which expires as early as 2024) or if they’re concerned about their future payroll, but so far there have been no indications that they want to do anything but retain him, Fischer writes.