Fred VanVleet 'Forever Indebted' to Raptors After Signing Historic Rockets Contract

Fred VanVleet is heading to the Houston Rockets, but he will always have a special place in his heart for the Toronto Raptors.

The point guard wrote a message to the Raptors and their fans on his Instagram page and said, in part, "I am forever indebted to the franchise that gave me a shot when no one else would. We built things together that can never be broken and accomplished things that will stand forever … To the city, franchise, and country that watched me grow every step of the way - THANK YOU."

VanVleet agreed to a three-year, $130 million contract with the Rockets this offseason, which will make him the highest-paid undrafted player in NBA history.

He earned that deal after seven seasons with the Raptors that included the 2019 championship and an All-Star selection in 2021-22. He averaged 19.3 points, 7.2 assists and 4.1 rebounds per game while shooting 39.3 percent from the field and 34.2 percent from deep last season.

Now, he joins a young Rockets team as a veteran leader who will look to help them bounce back from three straight losing seasons.