Fred VanVleet accepts 4-year, $ 85 million contract to stay with Toronto Raptors

Fred VanVleet has agreed to a four-year, $ 85 million contract to re-sign with the Toronto Raptors, Parlay Sports & Entertainment agent Brian Jungreis told The Athletic.

The deal includes a player option for the final season of the contract, a source confirmed to ESPN.

VanVleet’s journey to stardom was far from a safe bet, as the 6-foot-1 guard was not drafted out of Wichita state until the 2016-17 season. Now he has the biggest contract in NBA history for an undrafted player, surpassing Wesley Matthews’ four-year $ 70.1 million deal with the Dallas Mavericks in 2015.

After signing a two-year, $ 1.45 million contract with the Raptors, VanVleet struggled to find consistent minutes behind a Kyle Lowry-DeMar DeRozan backcourt. After DeRozan was sent to San Antonio as part of the Kawhi Leonard deal two seasons ago, VanVleet has helped fill the void.

His real breakthrough came in the playoffs that season, as VanVleet fell to 3 points after the birth of his son at the end of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Milwaukee Bucks.

In the final against the Golden State Warriors, VanVleet managed 40% on 6.7 attempts at 3 points per game to help the Raptors win the franchise’s first NBA Championship.

VanVleet kept that momentum going through last season, averaging career highs across the board. His 17.6 points per game was the most scored by an undrafted player since Mike James scored 20.3 points per game for Toronto in the 2005-06 season.

Not just a sniper, VanVleet averaged 6.6 assists last season and hit the foul line almost four times per game. VanVleet is also a tenacious defender despite his size. He was tied for third in the league in interceptions, averaging 1.9 per game.