The Minnesota Timberwolves have been busy this offseason slinging their money around to retain a roster that won 42 games, a play-in championship, and got bounced in the first round. Naz Reid got the bag first. Then Tim Connelly and friends dabbled in free agency ever so slightly. Most recently, they gave Anthony Edwards his much-deserved rookie max extension, anointing him as the face of the franchise.
It’s been a relatively straightforward and successful offseason. However, there’s one name whose absence from the extension squad is going to make Wolves fans anxious the longer into the summer.
McDaniels is coming off of a stellar third season. He became one of the NBA’s preeminent defenders and a viable secondary scorer alongside Edwards, all before his 23rd birthday. The former first-round pick was always highly respected by Timberwolves sickos who watch his impact on a game 82 times a year. However, he’s finally starting to get the respect he deserves around the league — from the casuals to the national media. Now it’s time for the Wolves to pay up for one of the best young players in the NBA, but how much are they willing to pay him?
The most recent reports paint a slightly worrisome picture for Timberwolves fans who have been pulverized by 34 years of front office chicanery. Things are seemingly “not close” between McDaniels and Minnesota right now. The Wolves would be insane to let things go on too long and give McDaniels even the tiniest chance of testing free agency next year (where have we heard this before?) Therefore, there’s not much to worry about at the moment.
It will be interesting to see what the contract looks like once things are officially signed, and he’s locked up for the next half-decade. As good as McDaniels is and as high as his ceiling might be, he’s not a no-brainer max extended. He won’t be getting the five-year, up to $260 million deal that Edwards signed earlier this month. McDaniels is also looking at way more than the $42 million coming Reid’s way. But there’s a huge middle ground between the two deals that the Wolves and McDaniels could land on.
With Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert, and now Edwards on max deals, the Timberwolves will be in cap hell a year from now no matter how much they give McDaniels. Therefore, there’s a simple place to start when negotiating with one-half of the Smother Brothers. Negotiations should start at four years, $100 million for a player the Wolves think can win Defensive Player of the Year someday. $25 million a year would put his salary in line with other young rising stars John Collins and Anfernee Simons, and Draymond Green, one of the greatest defensive players of all-time.
There are a lot of people around the league who would shudder at the thought of McDaniels signing a nine-figure deal. He averaged 12 points per game last year, committing the second-most fouls, and broke his hand punching a wall during Minnesota’s last regular-season game, forcing him to miss the playoffs. Those are all legitimate issues to flag before giving a 22-year-old $100 million. However, those around the team and anyone who watched more than five Timberwolves games last year recognize his barely tapped potential to become a true two-way star in this league. They should be totally fine giving him a hefty contract.
McDaniels is 6’9” with a 7-foot wingspan. He can hound the point of attack and guard every position on the court. McDaniels also shot a tick under 40 percent from three last season. He’s in the Mikal Bridges school of slow-burn defensive specialists with the physical gifts and skills to become one of the best defensive players of his generation and an above-average bucket-getter who can shoot, slash, and score in tandem with Anthony Edwards.
Bridges signed a 4-year, $91 million deal that kicked in last season. Those who don’t want to see McDaniels make nine figures would look at that deal and argue Bridges was a more proven player at the time of his extension. He reached the finals and had All-NBA defensive team before his big deal with the Phoenix Suns. However, McDaniels is well on his way to becoming an all-defense stalwart. If he and Edwards keep progressing at the rate they have since the Wolves drafted them November 2020, who is to say (other than the Denver Nuggets) that the Wolves won’t be competing for a spot in the finals sooner than we all might be anticipating?
Whatever the number ends up being, keeping Jaden McDaniels as part of the Wolves’ young core is Tim Connelly’s No. 1 priority moving forward. My official guess is 4-years, $110 million. He’s proven his worth to the club and the fanbase over his first three years in the NBA. Now it’s time to find out just how much that really means in cold hard cash. McDaniels could be Minnesota’s next $100 million man by the time this gets published. However, he’s already a young star with nearly limitless potential to make even more money the next time he’s up for a new contract when he’s in his late 20s.
