Fred VanVleet quickly became one of the highest-paid players in the NBA after agreeing to a lucrative contract when the 2023 free agency period opened on Friday.
VanVleet, 29, agreed to a three-year, $130 million contract with the Houston Rockets, which would end his seven-year stint with the Toronto Raptors.
The Wichita State product then took to Instagram on Sunday to post a farewell message to the Raptors, thanking them for helping him go from an undrafted rookie to an All-Star in 2022. But one of the comments caught the eye of the NBA spectrum.
Drake, who is a noted Raptors fan as he's a Toronto native, trolled VanVleet by referring to his next destination as the Guangdong Dragons instead of the Rockets.
Here's what Drake commented, which drew over 18,000 likes: "My look alike…the love is forever thank you for your character and your contributions over the years the city will never forget!!! Good luck with everything on the Guangdong Dragons……..I mean the Rockets."
VanVleet's response arguably was more amusing given the brevity. He responded with: "Relax."
The Guangdong Dragons are not the exact team Drake was likely referring to. The Guangdong Southern Tigers, though, compete in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) and was founded in 1993.
VanVleet, meanwhile, is now the key star on a Rockets team that is looking to bounce back after missing the postseason three seasons in a row. They had qualified eight straight times from 2012 to 2020 but haven't assembled the right pieces in the post-James Harden era.
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Houston also agreed to a four-year, $80 million contract with Dillon Brooks in a sign-and-trade deal with the Memphis Grizzlies, so the VanVleet-Brooks duo will look to take youngsters Jalen Green, Jabari Smith Jr. and Co. to a new level.
