Raptors' Fred VanVleet 'Preparing for the Worst-Case Scenario' Amid NBA Hiatus

Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet is back home in Rockford, Illinois waiting for the NBA to return and readying himself for the possibility it won't.  

"I think everybody is just preparing for the worst-case scenario, the season being canceled," VanVleet said on a conference call Wednesday, per Ian Harrison of the Associated Press. "We have to do what we have to do to try to shoulder the hit as best we can for us as players and owners and the league, while also working to try to resume as best we can."

When the NBA suspended its season on March 11, the Raptors were 46-18, trailing only the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference as their title defense marched toward the playoffs. 

That's especially painful for VanVleet, who was set to hit free agency this offseason after what had been, so far, the best year of his career. 

Through 48 games the Wichita State product is averaging 17.6 points, 6.6 assists and 1.9 steals per game—all career-highs. That's forced him to prepare to hit the open market without the opportunity to make a statement in the playoffs. 

“I think the league and the union will try to do a good job to make sure that the free agents this summer get a fair shake and there’s fair negotiating,” said VanVleet. “Obviously, we’ll probably all take a hit at some point, and hopefully the hit is just kind of minimized to this year.”

Should the NBA cancel the rest of the season, VanVleet can certainly call his time in Toronto a success. After going undrafted in 2016 and playing just 7.9 minutes per night as a rookie, he's become a starting guard in a league that places top value at the position, winning an NBA title in 2019 along the way.

As much as he wants basketball to return, be it with fans present or without, he's keeping a wide prospective on the hurdles the NBA would need to overcome. 

“If our league is going to be a leader in terms of public health and public safety and player safety, you’ve got to follow the guidelines of what the virus is speaking to you, so the odds are probably against us in terms of that,” VanVleet added. “But money, right? So, I think they’ll find a way somehow, some way and try to make it happen. I could definitely see it going either way. I wouldn’t be surprised if we didn’t come back and I wouldn’t be surprised if we do come back.

"I think people’s health and well being, and frame of mind, is a lot more important than a couple of million here or there, because we’re filthy rich compared to what we came from in the first place. So I don’t think anybody’s crying over it.”

NBA commissioner Adam Silver recently told media the league is still not in a position to make a determination on resuming play after speaking with public health officials. He said it's unclear when he will be able to.