Fred VanVleet is playing the field –– or, in this case, court.
The guard has opted out of his $22.8 million deal for 2023-24, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, and will hit the free agency market in July as one of the most-wanted players in the NBA.
VanVleet, 29, is forgoing the final year of his current four-year, $85 million contract.
The All-Star said he’s still open to negotiating a new deal with the Raptors, according to ESPN, though he’s built a shiny NBA resume the past seven seasons and will no doubt have many –– expensive –– options to start a new chapter elsewhere.
This move is not all that surprising from VanVleet as he’s grown into a superpower in the league, arguably out-performing his initial contract.
And he knows it.
“I felt like I’ve outplayed that contract thus far. So just trying to get myself in a position to put the cards in their hands,” VanVleet said to ESPN in January. “Without going too far into it … [I’m] just trying to put myself in a good position business-wise, and not take an extension on a deal that was made three or four years ago.”
Any team with cap space is likely drooling at the prospect of having VanVleet in their lineup.
There are a handful of squads linked to the guard at the February trade deadline including the Orlando Magic, Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Lakers.
VanVleet, who averaged 19.3 points and a career-high 7.2 assists per-game in the 2022-2023 season, has all the leverage here as he tests the market for the first time in his professional career.
According to TSN, VanVleet has his eyes on a contract similar to that of the Miami Heat’s Tyler Herro, who is on a four-year, $130 million deal.