Raptors agree to two-year deal with Fred VanVleet

Fred VanVleet will be returning to the Toronto Raptors on a two year deal.

The Toronto Raptors have agreed upon a two-year, $18-million deal with restricted free agent Fred VanVleet, Sportsnet’s Michael Grange confirms.

VanVleet himself also appeared to confirm the deal.

Shams Charania of Yahoo Sports first reported the deal.

A finalist for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award this past season, VanVleet enjoyed a breakout year, averaging 8.6 points per game and shooting an excellent 41.4 per cent from three-point range while anchoring Toronto’s vaunted bench unit that led the league in net rating.

There was consternation over whether or not the Raptors would’ve been able to keep VanVleet leading up to free agency with reports that the the Phoenix Suns — a team with a need at point guard — were in hot pursuit of the 24-year-old.

However, with the Suns reportedly signing veteran swingman Trevor Ariza to a one-year, $15-million deal, the likelihood that they would be able to afford VanVleet greatly diminished.

Forecasting ahead, with the VanVleet deal being a reported two-contract with no options, that lines the Raptors up to potentially have a tone of cap room to work with in 2020 as Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, Serge Ibaka and Jonas Valanciunas could all be free agents that summer.

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