Some players are reluctant to admit how big a factor money is in their free agent decisions. Fred VanVleet is not one of them.
The Toronto Raptors guard is about to embark on unrestricted free agency for the first time. He didn’t shy away from admitting that he wants to get paid once he hits the open market.
“I’m trying to get paid, man. I’m not shy about that,” VanVleet told “The Old Man & The Three” podcast. “I don’t have to tell people that I value winning … I’ve won a championship and now it’s time to cash out. I’m 26, I’m only four years in, but I feel like I’m on the verge of blossoming even more with more of a lead role and just taking more responsibility in my game.
“All of those things factor into it. But at the end of the day, it’s not purely numbers, but the numbers do play a big part and I just want to feel my value reciprocated from the other end. And teams can tell you that value all they want to, but until they show you with numbers, then you know what that means. We’ll see what that looks like.”
What we don’t know is which team VanVleet will sign with or what the price tag will end up being. It sounds like one notable team is interested, though, and they have a coach who knows VanVleet well.
