NBA Rumors: Raptors' Fred VanVleet, Magic 'to Talk Some Serious Money' in Free Agency

The Orlando Magic are reportedly expected to heavily pursue Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet in free agency this summer.

Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports said the Raptors will be "willing to talk some serious money" with VanVleet when he hits the open market.

The Raptors guard has a $22.8 million player option for the 2023-24 season but is widely expected to opt out of the final year of his deal.

After spending most of his career on consistent playoff teams, VanVleet's final year before free agency has not gone swimmingly. Toronto sits at 28-31 coming out of the All-Star break, good for 10th place in the Eastern Conference and the final spot in the play-in tournament.

"It's time to work," VanVleet told reporters. "We've got a lot of work in front of us, so I'm excited to be back, I think we feel good about where we're at and the challenge in front of us."

VanVleet is averaging 19.7 points, 6.6 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game this season. Those numbers are slightly down from a year ago, but VanVleet had three 30-point games in February before hitting the break.

The Magic have built a talented young roster but are lacking for primary ball-handling. VanVleet could help bring some structure to the Orlando offense that has not quite been found with Markelle Fultz and Cole Anthony leading the charge.