The Timberwolves have a simple question to answer with Jaden McDaniels: do they pay him now, or do they let this play out a little longer?
There’s no doubt Minnesota wants McDaniels in the picture for years. Since going 28th overall in the 2020 NBA Draft, he has kept getting better, and the case for keeping him has only grown stronger.
He’s already established himself as one of the league’s best perimeter defenders, and his offensive game keeps moving forward. If the shooting stays sharp and the growth continues, he could even work his way into the All-Star conversation as soon as this season.
But the price tag is the issue. McDaniels, 26, can sign a two-year extension worth up to $87 million through October 19.
That’s $43.5 million annually, a hefty number for a player who has not made an All-Star team. In today’s NBA, where the second apron changes how teams think about every major decision, that kind of commitment has to be weighed carefully.
Minnesota also doesn’t need to rush. McDaniels still has three years left on the five-year deal he signed in 2023, and that contract is worth around $84 million.
Any extension now would not kick in until the 2029-30 season, which would cover his age-29 and age-30 seasons. Those are prime years, sure, but the league’s financial pressure has made teams far more cautious about loading up on big money.
Recent champions have already shown how aggressive teams can get in avoiding the second apron. The New York Knicks have paused extension talks with multiple players, including Karl-Anthony Towns, and the two sides reportedly never got close to a deal.
Mitchell Robinson ended up with the Celtics, and Miles McBride could be next out the door. The Oklahoma City Thunder dealt Aaron Wiggins, Isaiah Joe, and Luguentz Dort this offseason, while the Celtics spent the 2025 offseason cutting salary.
Minnesota has its own high-dollar questions coming. Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball are both extension-eligible, and neither is likely to settle on a new deal any time soon. The Timberwolves are going to want to keep both, and both figures would cost well beyond an average annual value of $43.5 million.
There’s also the long view to consider. Rudy Gobert likely won’t still be on the roster by 2029, and if Joan Beringer develops the way Minnesota hopes, he’ll need a new deal too. The team drafted Beringer with the idea that he could eventually replace Gobert, and they won’t want to lose him once that time comes.
So this isn’t really about McDaniels’ value. It’s about timing.
He is absolutely worth keeping, and it wouldn’t be outrageous for Minnesota to make the offer. Still, with plenty of time left before free agency, the smarter play looks like waiting another year, getting more information on McDaniels, and seeing how much he grows with Ball running the offense.
If that next step comes, then the Wolves can go back to the table.
In Other News...
Timberwolves Buzz Feels Different But One Challenge Just Got Bigger
Chris Finch says the Timberwolves locker room has taken on a very different feel heading into the preseason, moving from what he described as moodiness to something closer to giddiness. The arrival of LaMelo Ball has been a big part of that shift, with his playmaking and energy giving Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels and the rest of the roster a boost in the kind of easy rhythm teams like to see before the games start counting.
The challenge now is making sure that new spark does not drift into something too loose for a group with bigger goals. Finchs point was clear: the chemistry looks better, the mood is lighter and the ball movement should be fun to watch, but the Timberwolves still have to carry the seriousness it takes to chase a championship when the preseason feeling gives way to the real grind. [Read more 🡒]
Reggie Miller Sees A Rockets Threat The West Can't Ignore
The Western Conference picture keeps shifting, and the Timberwolves are right in the middle of a summer that has already featured plenty of roster movement around them. Minnesotas addition of LaMelo Ball has only added to the sense that the conferences top tier is still being redrawn, with the Lakers bringing in Walker Kessler and Denver landing DeMar DeRozan as other contenders try to keep pace.
Reggie Miller, though, has been pointing to Houston as the team that could make the loudest leap. He sees a Rockets group built around a promising young core and strengthened by the arrivals of Fred VanVleet and Marcus Smart, enough to make them a real problem in a crowded West. The Rockets will get their first chance to show how far theyve come when they open the 2026-27 season against the Mavericks on October 21. [Read more 🡒]
Jonathan Kuminga Is Already Calming One Timberwolves Concern
Jonathan Kuminga has spent the Timberwolves preseason doing exactly what Minnesota hoped to see: fitting in. He has flashed on both ends without monopolizing the ball, and his best stretch so far came against the Pistons, when he led the team with 16 points while also adding 4 rebounds and 3 assists. Just as important, the scoring has come with good shot selection and the kind of floor spacing that can make a lineup easier to play around.
For a Wolves team that values cohesion and two-way versatility, Kumingas early usage is encouraging because it looks familiar in the right way. His role is expected to resemble Jaden McDaniels, with an emphasis on exploiting mismatches, defending, and helping the team function rather than chasing numbers. If that continues, one preseason concern about how he would fit should start to fade quickly. [Read more 🡒]