King_of_lion Posted November 23, 2020 Posted November 23, 2020 When NBA free agency opened on Friday evening, three big-name Toronto players hit the market. By the time the dust settled, two of them were gone. But the Raptors re-signed the best one and made some cost-effective moves to replace the departures. Crucially, they kept themselves in position to land the biggest prize of all down the road. Here are the details from the Raps' busy weekend: They re-signed Fred VanVleet. This was the big one. The Raptors helped turn the smallish guard from an undrafted free agent into a star over the last four years, and he was one of the best bargains in the league last season at a salary-cap hit of $9.3 million US. But VanVleet made it clear that he intended to get paid this off-season, and he was probably the best truly-available player on the market (Anthony Davis opted out of his contract but is expected to re-sign with the Lakers). That opened the possibility that Toronto might either lose VanVleet to an aggressive bidder or have to overpay to keep him. But the Raps re-signed him for four years and $85 million, which seems pretty reasonable. Especially after Charlotte dropped $120 million over four years on a diminished Gordon Hayward. ROUNDUPFred VanVleet signs 4-year, $85M US deal with Raptors 'I am one of yours forever,' departing Serge Ibaka tells Raptors fans Goodbye to the big men The Raptors lost Serge Ibaka and Marc Gasol to Los Angeles. Ibaka joined Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers for two years at $19 million. Gasol went to the NBA-champion Lakers for two years, with no salary figures reported yet. Saying goodbye to Serge Ibaka hurts, but the Raptors have their eyes on a bigger prize. (Stacy Revere/Getty Images) Both big men were important and beloved members of the 2019 title team, and Ibaka will be especially missed. He averaged a career-high 15.4 points with 8.2 rebounds last season while blending his athleticism, shooting range and intensity with an off-court playfulness that endeared him to teammates and fans. They'll likely never forget Ibaka's kitchen-interview show "How Hungry Are You?" or his giant scarf.
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