With the Timberwolves on the verge of starting training camp, Andrew Wiggins could finally be inking his max-contract extension.
According to Darren Wolfson of KSTP, Wiggins’ extension is expected to be done by Saturday, Sept. 23., which is the team’s first practice. The contract is a five-year deal worth $148 million.
What’s taken so long?
The extension has been on the table for over a month, but on Aug. 23., Wiggins fired his agent Bill Duffey.
It’s unclear if Wiggins has hired new representation since, but if Wolfson’s report is true, it means Wiggins is satisfied with where things are at now.
A verbal commitment
Two weeks before firing his agent, Timberwolves majority owner Glen Taylor told the Associated Press he wanted to meet with Wiggins.
Taylor wanted a commitment from the former Rookie of the Year “to be a better player than you are today.” Implying that Wiggins has to be more than just a scorer.
KAT’s up next
Next season will be Karl-Anthony Towns’ third in the NBA. Which means this time next year, we’ll probably be talking about Towns’ max deal.
NBA teams are now allowed to have two players under a max contract.
Max contracts are calculated by service time, and are based off a percentage of the cap – not a static dollar amount. Players that have been in the league for six or fewer seasons are eligible to get up to 25 percent of the cap number.
That means Wiggins and Towns could account for roughly 50 percent of the team’s salary cap if they’re both under a max deal.
It’s like the situation Toronto is currently in, with Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan taking up about 47 percent of the Raptors’ cap space under their max deals.
