Fred VanVleet isn't shy about what his off-season plans are -- he's trying to get paid.

VanVleet joined The Old Man and the Three podcast with fellow NBAer JJ Redick to discuss his upcoming free agency.

"I'm trying to get paid, man. I'm not shy about that. I don't have to tell people that I value winning. Just look at my story, do your research. I've never been on a losing team in my entire life. That's what I'm about and that's just what it is. I 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. So 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."

As for negotiation tactics, VanVleet insisted he just wants to keep things simple.

"I'm not going to play hard to get, I'm not going to try and outsmart myself and stack teams against each other but we'll see what the numbers look like when they come in. We'll try to make the best decision but I'm a pretty simple guy, it's not that difficult for me."

VanVleet told Redick he isn't going into free agency with a specific number in mind and would consider any offer from any team. However, if two offers are similar, VanVleet knows what he's looking for in an organization.

"I'm a businessman at heart but I do value certain things when it comes to actually picking between franchises that are offering the same number. So that part will be easy, I mean we know I don't have to downcredit anybody or boost anybody, we know what teams are what so that part will be easy." 

After helping the Raptors to their first championship in franchise history in 2019, VanVleet took yet another step forward in 2019-20.

The Rockford, Ill., native averaged a career-best 17.6 points and 6.6 assists per game while also seeing dramatic increases in minutes played and usage rate. VanVleet has spent the entirety of his four-year NBA career with the Raptors since signing as an undrafted free agent out of Wichita State in July of 2016.