"And it's just like 'Freddy don't pass the ball. He's selfish and he's trying to get paid'. That's what it boiled down to. And I'm just sitting there like, "All right, fuck it." You know what I'm saying? And it is what it is. And in a vacuum, me, Pascal, OG, Scottie, Jakob and Gary Trent and with some young guys, Precious and like that's in the East. Shit that's a top four team. You know what I'm saying? But like you underperform."
"There's so much more to the game than just the paper. And you got to have the right vibe. The culture is everything. Your habits on a daily basis. And the business and the management also plays a huge factor, especially in today's world. So I just think that that shit was kind of unraveling as we were going. And as fans, you're watching the game and you're following the the commentary as it goes and it's like that's where your focus is."
Fred VanVleet attributes his Raptors exit to an unraveling team culture, management decisions, and behind-the-scenes issues that undermined on-court talent. He rejects simplistic fan narratives that labeled him selfish or salary-driven, noting that the roster—Pascal, OG, Scottie, Jakob, Gary Trent and young players—projected as a top-four Eastern team on paper. Daily habits, team vibe, and organizational business choices influenced performance more than rosters alone. Fans often miss internal dynamics, and as the starting point guard his role involved absorbing criticism rather than publicly detailing internal matters.
Read at Raptors Republic
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