The Toronto Raptors are betting big on Fred VanVleet.
The team officially re-signed the 26-year-old point guard to a multi-year contract — worth $85 million across four years, per Sportsnet’s Michael Grange — on Tuesday.
“In the last four years, we’ve seen Fred move from leader of the Raptors 905, to leader of the ‘Bench Mob’ to a leader of a championship team. The constant has been his leadership, no matter his role,” Raptors president Masai Ujiri said in a press release.
“We look forward to the coming years with Fred as one of the voices and hearts of our team. We bet on Fred.”
Last season, his fourth with the Raptors, the native of Rockford, Ill., posted career-best averages in points (17.6), assists (6.6) and rebounds (3.8) on 41.3 per cent shooting from the floor and 39 per cent from three as an every-game starter for the first time. He also averaged 19.6 points and 6.9 assists in 11 games as the Raptors fell to the Boston Celtics in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals as they attempted to defend their 2019 title.
VanVleet has garnered acclaim for his rise from going undrafted out of Wichita State, grinding his way out of the G League’s Raptors 905, securing a role with the big club and ultimately becoming a key contributor in the franchise’s first championship. Through the ups and downs of his journey, VanVleet’s confidence was unshakable and he has stayed true to the mantra of “Bet on Yourself,” which he adopted after he fell out of the 2016 NBA Draft.
“For me, ‘Bet on Yourself’ isn’t just a motto on a shirt. It really is at the centre of who I am and how I decide to live and to work,” VanVleet said in the release.
“I’m really happy to be staying in Toronto with my Raptors family, and to be able to continue with this great organization and to work toward our goal of our next championship.”
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