Raptors guard Fred VanVleet gets rich trying

Among the half dozen or so kids sprinkled throughout the Maple Leaf Sports Launchpad on Friday were probably one or two who dream of someday making it big in basketball.

There are extraordinarily long odds against that ever happening but not 10 metres away sat living proof that chasing one’s dreams — no matter how far-fetched they may be — is a pursuit worth taking, that a belief in oneself can create improbable story lines.

Raptors guard Fred VanVleet has gone from an undrafted free agent to a highly thought of — and highly paid — part of the Toronto rotation.The occasion was the official announcement of Fred VanVleet’s new two-year, $18-million (all figures US) contract with the Toronto…