Fred VanVleet denies getting an extension offer from the Raptors

For many this will not be surprising. For others, loyalty deserves us to get in shape and then the Raptors offer a new contract to Fred VanVleet. But not everything is so simple. The case does not boil down to “I don’t love you either”. We expand.

“I have never received a formal offer”. The point is very clear, one side would not necessarily say no while the other, for now, says nothing.

However, it’s vital – yes vital – not to start shouting rake. The Raptors did not make any extension offers to their All-Star point guard. Last Saturday, it was Josh Lewenberg’s TS extension which revealed the background of the summer discussions between Fred VanVleet and the Canadian management. The reporter was talking about an offer from 114 million in four years, rejected by Frédo the scoundrel! Incredible. Sitting on $28.5 million a season when you don’t necessarily have a shot at being No. 2/1 with any regularity for a playoff team is blatant. So blatant it was wrong. “I understand that we are in an era where we take two sentences of an article to make a tweet. And then out of the blue last night I get 300 messages saying I turned down 114 million, which I didn’t”. Bim, the bastos pulled by FVV towards Josh Lewenberg’s rips. We see it a lot in European sport, the denials and counter-attacks. Rarely in the NBA.

But the situation is still… central. The future of a franchise hangs in the balance. Fred VanVleet, one of the main architects of the title in 2019, Mr. off the bench at the time, is today the Raptors’ #2 offensive option. Not the franchise player – out of respect to Pascal Siakam, gigantic this season – but a hugely important figure in Nick Nurse’s group. Tauliere. Housewife. And suddenly ? Is it really worth throwing big bribes to prolong a loyalty example that probably bottles up the payroll? We appreciate our Fred VanVleet at 22 million a season (and that too, some would say the part about him). But if the rate rises, in his 29th birthday year, when he’s struggling sportingly with only 38 percent shooting success, Masai Ujiri risks keeping one friend at the cost of thousands of enemies.

So there’s no rush. She lets basketball have its way. May Fred VanVleet regain his standards from last season and may the Raptors management weigh the pros and cons, take the time to reflect, brainstormingrally around the same issue, one dispute, and swing this Memphis muck in exchange for Dillon Brooks and Danny Green.

“There is no emergency. I can still sign the extension. Until the end of the season. I also have a player option in my contract this summer. We can deal with it at the end of the season. Also, I’m in order for next year, so take my word for it.”

– Fred VanVleet

Fred VanVleet says he never got an extension offer from the Raptors… pic.twitter.com/7B6PwiELGk

— HoopsHype (@hoopshype) January 9, 2023