Timberwolves Hand Out Massive Extension To Promising Forward

The Minnesota Timberwolves have locked up one of their young core pieces to a huge deal, signing 4th-year forward Jaden McDaniels to a 5-year, $136M rookie extension. 

Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels has agreed to a five-year, $136M contract extension, his agents Nima Namakian of @InnovateSports and Bill Duffy of @WME_Sports tell me and @JonKrawczynski.

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 23, 2023

At 6-foot-10 with a 7-foot wingspan, McDaniels is one of the top defenders in basketball. The Wolves’ defense is five points per 100 possessions better when McDaniels is on the floor, and the team says that McDaniels’ matchup difficulty ranks in the 99th percentile of the league. 

On offense, he registered a career-high 12.1 points per game last season, while shooting 40% from the three-point line. The ultimate 3-and-D.

Anthony Edwards on Jaden McDaniels:

"Jaden is the most important person on the team, for sure, because he has the most potential. I think the world knows we wouldn't be the Timberwolves without him. I'm looking forward to him having a phenomenal season." pic.twitter.com/79MUFzZ47k

— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) October 23, 2023

Team superstar Anthony Edwards left no doubt as to how critical McDaniels is to the T-Wolves success:

Jaden is the most important person on the team, for sure, because he has the most potential. I think the world knows we wouldn't be the Timberwolves without him. I'm looking forward to him having a phenomenal season.

With Rudy Gobert manning the middle and McDaniels normally guarding the opposition's top offensive player, Minnesota will be a tough defensive nut to crack on most nights. 

Photo: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports