Should Sixers Target Raptors' Fred VanVleet?

On Monday afternoon, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news that Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet will not pick up his player option for the 2023-2024 season.

ESPN Sources: In the first major domino of free agency, Toronto Raptors All-Star guard Fred VanVleet has declined his $22.8 million player option and will become an unrestricted free agent in July. pic.twitter.com/bVrve81XgZ
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 12, 2023

The 29-year-old's decision could not come at a better time for the Philadelphia 76ers, as James Harden's future in the City of Brotherly Love is anything but certain as of the moment.

While Harden will have to make the big decision on whether he wants to take the $35 million option or leave in the coming weeks, it's important for Daryl Morey and Philadelphia's front office to look over potential replacements, and VanVleet should be a part of that list for a few reasons.

To begin with, VanVleet would be reunited with Nick Nurse, who coached the 29-year-old for the main part of his career, which led to the pair winning their first championship in 2019.

To say that the former Wichita State guard flourished under Nurse would be an understatement, earning himself a spot in the 2022 All-Star game, when he averaged 20 points per game on 40 percent shooting.

Another reason for the Sixers to consider Vanvleet is his age. He's only 29 years old, which means he'll be beginning to hit his prime while still having some potential room to grow.

While his offensive production isn't exactly to the level that Harden produced at times, especially in the assists department, Vanvleet nearly had a career year last season, proving to be a crucial part of the Raptors' offensive engine, averaging 19 points per game on a passable 39 percent from the field, only trialing Pascal Siakam in scoring.

The last reason would be the financials, with Vanvleet's previous contract being worth around an average salary of $21.2 million according to Sportrac, which is much less than James Harden's $35 million option, meaning there would be more money to spread around to other parts of the squad.

While there are upsides and downsides to potentially replacing Harden with VanVleet, it wouldn't be out of this world to see Morey and the Sixers front office to reach out.

Declan Harris contributes to All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him on Twitter: @DecIanH.

For live updates on the Philadelphia 76ers, follow @All76ersFN on Twitter!