Credit: Nell Redmond-USA TODAY Sports
Toronto Raptors All-Star Fred VanVleet is declining his $22.8 million player option for 2023-24 to enter free agency, ESPN reported Monday.
The 29-year-old guard has not ruled out negotiating a new deal with Toronto, where he averaged 19.3 points, 7.2 assists and 4.1 rebounds in 69 games (all starts) in 2022-23. He was third in the NBA with 1.8 steals per game.
VanVleet has spent his entire career with the Raptors, making the All-Star team in 2021-22 and helping them win an NBA championship in 2018-19.
He owns career averages of 14.6 points, 5.3 assists and 3.3 rebounds in 417 games (268 starts) since arriving as an undrafted free agent in July 2016.
VanVleet signed a four-year, $85 million deal with the Raptors in November 2020. If he declines his player option, he would become an unrestricted free agent on July 6.
–Field Level Media