Fred VanVleet of the Toronto Raptors denied a recent report that claimed the point guard had turned down a max-extension offer worth $114 million made before the season.
After their 117-105 win against the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday, VanVleet stated that a formal offer from the team was never actually made and that he and the team would instead choose to postpone negotiations.
"There was never a formal offer made. It was a mutual decision made by both sides that the smart thing to do would be to wait it out," VanVleet said. "There was no rush given that I could still sign the extension all the way through the end of the season."
Because of CBA rules, $114 million was the max amount that the Raptors could give the former All-Star. That number is still on the board should the team choose to put forward a formal offer.
VanVleet, 28, still has a player option worth $22.8 million for next season if he chooses to put off his free agency one more summer.
The point guard also made it clear in the press conference that he did not want to talk about his contract situation in the middle of the NBA season.
"I don't want it to be a distraction and I'm not going to be speaking on any contracts or any situation regarding my contract this year," he said.
He is currently averaging 18.8 points on 37.7 per cent from the field and 32.5 per cent from deep. He's also picking up 6.2 assists and 4.1 rebounds per contest.
