A day before their season opener, the Timberwolves have reportedly agreed to a five-year, $136 million extension with forward Jaden McDaniels, according to The Athletic’s Shams Charania and Jon Krawczynski.
McDaniels is entering his fourth season with the Wolves. A 2020 first-round pick by the Lakers, McDaniels has spent his entire career in Minnesota and is now considered one of the best defensive players in the NBA.
The 23-year-old forward has improved every season, finishing the 2022-23 season with 12.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.0 blocks per game.
The former-University of Washington forward was snubbed for All-Defensive team last season despite finishing the season as the only player in the league with 75+ blocks and 70+ steals.
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
McDaniels was forced to sit out the Wolves’ playoff run last season with a broken hand he suffered after punching a wall at Target Center.
“It was just hard to watch,” said McDaniels when asked about missing the playoffs at Wolves media day. “I’m a competitor, I love to play basketball. Sitting out at anytime is kind of hard. It was a good experience to watch my teammates fight through the playoffs.”
McDaniels said missing the playoffs last season, “Fuels me a lot. Getting motivation to get better every year and not want to miss an opportunity like that again.”
