Report: Fred VanVleet 'Heading Toward' Extension Approaching of 4 Years, $110 million
Fred VanVleet will reportedly be sticking around Toronto for quite a bit longer.
The 28-year-old point guard is "heading toward" a contract extension that "could approach" four years, $110 million with the Toronto Raptors, according to Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer. The deal would require VanVleet to opt out of his player option in 2023-24 and ink the four-year extension beginning after next season.
If finalized, the deal would become the largest contract ever signed by an undrafted free agent, topping the four-year, $85 million deal VanVleet agreed to in 2020.
All the buzz surrounding Jalen Brunson's free agency this summer could not have come at a better time for VanVleet who is just two years older than Brunson with a far more decorated NBA resume. The New York Knicks have spent the past month rearranging their salary cap situation to pry Brunson loose from the Dallas Mavericks with a deal that's expected to be "in the neighborhood" of four years, $110 million, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski and Tim MacMahon.
Had VanVleet really wanted to double down and 'bet on himself,' he could have taken his contract negotiations to unrestricted free agency next summer and tried to squeeze the Raptors for a little bit more money. On the heels of an All-Star caliber season, though, VanVleet appears to be making the wise decision and securing another payday while the market is hot.