Drake posted a brutal comment on Fred VanVleet’s goodbye to the Toronto Raptors as he suggested the guard was joining a Chinese team rather than the Houston Rockets.
VanVleet became one of the highest-paid players in the league after agreeing to a lucrative contract once the NBA’s Free Agency period opened last Friday. The 29-year-old agreed to a three-year deal worth $130million (£102m) with the Houston Rockets.
The move to Ime Udoka’s Rockets brings to an end his seven-year tenure with the Raptors. VanVleet signed with Toronto as an undrafted free agent in 2016, spending his first campaign with the G League’s Raptors 905 as they won the championship in 2017.
VanVleet went on to become a key player for the Raptors and won the franchise’s first NBA championship in 2019 when the Canadian outfit defeated the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals. The 2022 All-Star leaves as the franchise owner of the single game points record from when he put up 54 against the Orlando Magic in 2021.
On Sunday, VanVleet took to Instagram to post a farewell message to the Raptors as he expressed gratitude to the franchise for acting as the foundation of his NBA career. Drake - a renowned Raptors fan given he is a Toronto native - trolled VanVleet in the comments by referring to his next team as the Guangdong Dragons.
Drake’s comment received over 18,000 likes and read: “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 was particularly amusing given his short answer. He simply responded with: “Relax.”
The Guangdong Dragons are not quite a real team, but perhaps Drake was referring to the Guangdong Southern Tigers. The Southern Tigers were founded in 1993 and compete in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA).
The CBA also boasts the Ningbo Rockets, although they went 4-38 last season to finish bottom of the league. It’s clear that VanVleet would certainly rather play for Houston rather than Ningbo.
Meanwhile, the guard is now the centrepiece on an intriguing Rockets team eyeing a return to the postseason after missing out for three successive years. The Rockets had qualified for the playoffs for eight straight years between 2012 and 2020 with James Harden leading the franchise, but have failed to construct an adequate roster since his departure.
The Rockets have made a number of key moves in free agency, with Dillon Brooks joining via a sign-and-trade with the Memphis Grizzlies with the 27-year-old agreeing a four-year deal worth $80m (£63m). An axis of Brooks and VanVleet - two guards who possess defensive grit and hustle - will be poised to lead youngsters like Jalen Green and Jabari Smith Jr. under Udoka in 2023-24.
