Fred VanVleet breaks silence on Toronto departure

Fred VanVleet spent seven years with the Toronto Raptors before joining the Houston Rockets this summer. 

The veteran guard won a championship during his tenure in Canada, along with making a lone All-Star appearance. However, VanVleet saw Toronto moving in a different direction and made the difficult choice to head to Texas.

VanVleet recently shared his thought process on leaving the Raptors during an interview on Adrian Wojnarowski's "The Woj Pod." 

"Once we got to that point where it was like, OK, they clearly are going in a different direction, this is not the situation that I was brought into and kind of nurtured in and cultured in and won a championship in," VanVleet said. "This is a different environment that they have to kind of start over a little bit...It was just a time where it's starting to go around Scottie, it's starting to go around some of the other young guys. My value there wasn't probably as great as it was in Houston. That's really what it all boiled down to."

Since joining the Rockets, VanVleet has helped significantly alter the culture within the locker room. Both he and Dillon Brooks have taken the reigns as veteran leaders on the team. Brooks comes with a reputation for being an instigator who can rile up even the calmest opponents, while VanVleet brings a winning mentality and championship ring that commands respect in the locker room.

VanVleet didn't join the Rockets to let his career fritter away. He joined to help put Houston back on the basketball map. VanVleet decided to join a franchise that needed what he brought to the table. He's gone where his impact will make a difference and where he can be the leader of a team. 

If that opportunity wasn't available in Toronto, there's no denying that he made the right choice by heading to Texas and teaming up with head coach Ime Udoka.