VanVleet, Hayward to sign four-year deals

Fred VanVleet agreed Saturday to a four-year, $85 million contract to remain with the Toronto Raptors, a person with knowledge told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the contract remains unsigned. The fourth year is at VanVleet’s option.

The Charlotte Hornets, meanwhile, finally landed Gordon Hayward, according to Priority Sports, which represents the veteran forward. A person with knowledge of the terms, speaking on condition of anonymity because the deal hadn’t been signed, told the AP that Hayward will sign a four-year deal worth $120 million.

VanVleet, the undrafted guard from Wichita State, has played a huge role in the Raptors’ recent successes, most importantly their run to the 2019 NBA championship. He has set career bests in scoring by wide margins in each of the last three seasons.

Keeping VanVleet was of major importance to the Raptors, who have won at least 50 games in each of the last five seasons — by far the NBA’s longest current streak.

Milwaukee has a two-year such streak, and the reigning NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers reached the 50-win mark last season.

Free agency opened in the NBA on Friday, and VanVleet was one of the top available names. Lakers forward Anthony Davis remains unsigned, but he is expected to remain with the defending champions. Hayward’s future was another of the top questions remaining in the league as Day 2 of free agency began Saturday.

Hayward turned down a $34 million option for this season with Boston, and the Celtics were in talks with other teams

— including Indiana, which was believed to be a preference of Hayward’s — on potential signand-trade deals.

Instead, it appears the Celtics are seeing Hayward walk away as a free agent.

Hayward agreed to a four-year offer sheet worth about $63 million with the Hornets in 2014, a deal that was matched by the Utah Jazz — Hayward’s original team.

Hayward left the Jazz for Boston in 2017, saw his first season with the Celtics end on opening night of the 2017-18 season when he suffered a horrible lower leg injury, then averaged 14.0 points per game over the following two seasons.

VanVleet’s deal was the second major development for the Raptors in two days. On Friday, the team said it would begin this season by calling Tampa, Florida, home because of travel issues related to the coronavirus pandemic.