Fred VanVleet made a big decision in the offseason.
After spending the first seven seasons of his career with the Raptors, where he won a championship and blossomed into an All-Star, VanVleet decided to leave the only franchise he had known for an opportunity with the Rockets.
On the Dec. 4 episode of "The Woj Pod," VanVleet joined ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski to talk about a number of topics, including his departure from Toronto. He gave some insight on his free agency meeting with the Raptors and the factors that led him to the Rockets.
"It was never easy," VanVleet said about the decision to leave Toronto. "It was one of the most difficult decisions I've made, especially as a professional, in my life.
"More than anything, it was just trying to look ahead and use a little foresight and have some vision about things that are going to happen down the line. I didn't want to be in a position where I was just signing a contract because the number was good and the contract was good. I wanted to kind of position myself for the second half of my career now as I'm going on my eighth year. Just kind of looking ahead and seeing the writing was definitely on the wall.
"Once we got to that point where it was like, OK, they clearly are going in a different direction, this is not the situation that I was brought into and kind of nurtured in and cultured in and won a championship in. This is a different environment that they have to kind of start over a little bit, and I just wanted to be somewhere where I could be myself all the way through and not have to try to fit into a box.
"I think it was best for all parties."
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VanVleet has played a leading role in Houston's surprising success to this point of the 2023-24 season. In 16 games, he's averaging 16.5 points, a team-best 9.1 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game. The Rockets have been a different team with him on the court, going from outscoring opponents by 4.9 points per 100 possessions to being outscored by 2.2 points per 100 possessions with him on the bench.
VanVleet has brought some much-needed veteran leadership to a young Rockets team. For the Raptors, VanVleet's departure opened up more opportunities for others, most notably Scottie Barnes, who is having a breakout season.
"You've got to understand the situation and kind of know what's going on in the organisation," VanVleet told Wojnarowski. "It was just a time where it's starting to go around Scottie, it's starting to go around some of the other young guys. My value there wasn't probably as great as it was in Houston. That's really what it all boiled down to.
"It was definitely not much of a buttering up in that meeting [with the Raptors], but I always give Masai [Ujiri] credit for shooting straight and being honest and upfront. You've got to commend him for that. We've always had a great line of communication and he was pretty straightforward, you know?"
VanVleet has yet to play the Raptors as a member of the Rockets. The first meeting between the two teams this season will come on Feb. 2. VanVleet will then make his first trip back to Toronto since joining the Rockets on Feb. 9.
Fred VanVleet contract details
VanVleet signed a three-year, $128.5 million contract with the Rockets as an unrestricted free agent. His career earnings will reach $210.0 million after the 2025-26 season.
| Season | Fred VanVleet's salary |
| 2023-24 | $40,806,300 |
| 2024-25 | $42,846,615 |
| 2025-26 | $44,886,930 |
| 2026-27 | UFA |
