Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet is set to become an unrestricted free agent this July after declining his player option for the 2023-24 season worth $22.8 million.
ESPN Sources: In the first major domino of free agency, Toronto Raptors All-Star guard Fred VanVleet has declined his $22.8 million player option and will become an unrestricted free agent in July. pic.twitter.com/bVrve81XgZ
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 12, 2023
The 29-year-old is not ruling out a return to Toronto via a new deal, as he is set to become one of the most prominent guards in the marketplace this offseason.
The 6-foot guard averaged 19.2 points, a career-high 7.2 assists, and 1.8 steals per game, which is third in the league during the 2022-23 NBA season.
VanVleet spent his seven-year career with the Raptors after going undrafted in the 2016 NBA Draft.
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Fred VanVleet: Major Contributor to Raptors Championship
VanVleet was a vital piece of the 2018-19 Toronto Raptors team that won the NBA Championship over the Golden State Warriors in the 2019 NBA Finals.
The point guard was assigned the challenging defensive role of guarding Stephen Curry, in which the team utilized the box-and-one strategy to stop the Warriors legend.
VanVleet dropped a then-career playoffs-high 22 points, alongside five three-pointers in the championship clincher as the Raptors defeated the Warriors in Game 6, 114-110, to win their first title in franchise history.
VanVleet came in second in the NBA Finals MVP voting after Kawhi Leonard.
The former Wichita State player re-signed with the Raptors on a four-year contract worth $85 million in 2020 after an incredible career journey that saw him from being undrafted to becoming a starter for Toronto. VanVleet made the NBA All-Star Game in 2022.
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