Fred VanVleet has been sidelined all season, but it appears the former all-star point guard can still take a few shots.
During a recent podcast appearance, the former Raptors star opened up about his departure from the team, including a low-ball contract offer that ultimately led to him leaving town.
While VanVleet was complimentary about his time in Toronto, he said that he “didn’t really want to go back” when he hit free agency following the 2023-24 season.
VanVleet made the revelation during an episode of the Out The Mud podcast last week, which is hosted by former NBA stars Tony Allen and Zach Randolph.
What did VanVleet say?
“Free agency was weird because, like, I knew I didn’t really want to go back to Toronto,” VanVleet said. “They didn’t really want me back, but it was like, again, I had the relationship. So it’s like they kind of wanted to make sure they put a respectable offer down, but they came with the bulls*** first. So when Houston came with the real deal, this don’t nobody know it yet, soon as they said the number, my mind was made up.
“I don’t even give a f*** what nobody talking about … Now you had official meetings and s*** like that. So, I think that’s what was reported was the deal, but that was like before it actually happened. So then when I met with Toronto, they came with another deal like at the last minute like, ‘Yo, we going to offer you whatever we going to offer you.’ I’m like, ‘All right, bet.’ You know what I’m saying?”
VanVleet added that he felt like both sides knew that the relationship was over at that point.
“But even my meeting with them was like they knew — you know, everybody in the room knew like this s*** over with,” he said. “But it was just almost like just a formality, like we just doing this because this what we supposed to do. And then after that, my mind was made up and s***. We agreed to sign with Houston. But s***, I couldn’t sign that s*** fast enough.”
VanVleet also shared that he could feel that the team was on the decline after winning the NBA championship in 2019, pointing out that Kawhi Leonard left immediately after winning and that the team gradually sank down in the standings.
How much did VanVleet sign for with Houston?
It should also be noted that Houston had much more cap space during the 2023 off-season, which allowed the Rockets to offer VanVleet a massive three-year, $130-million max contract that other teams — like the Raptors — couldn’t come close to matching.
VanVleet — who missed the entire 2025-26 season with a torn ACL suffered during off-season training — also signed a two-year, $50-million extension with the Rockets in 2025 before getting injured.
While the guard has not officially been ruled out of making a return in the playoffs and is participating in non-contact, on-court work, Rockets head coach Ime Udoka has said that VanVleet will not play before taking part in full-contact training.
Houston currently trails the Los Angeles Lakers in their first-round playoff series after losing Game 1 on Saturday. Game 2 tips off at 10:30 p.m. on Tuesday night.