The Timberwolves have locked in Jaden McDaniels a little longer, striking a one-year veteran extension worth $40 million, according to agents Nima Namakian and Bill Duffy, who told Shams Charania of ESPN.
McDaniels was already attached to a three-year, $84 million deal, and this new agreement pushes his total earnings over the next four seasons to $124 million. The extension will cover the 2029/30 season, and because he still had multiple guaranteed years left on his current contract, Monday served as the deadline for him to get a deal done during the 2026/27 league year.
Michael Scotto of HoopsHype noted that this is the first time in NBA history a player with three guaranteed years remaining on a non-max contract has been extended.
There’s a financial logic to the extra year, as Shams Charania explained. A veteran contract extension can start at up to 140% of a player’s previous salary, which means McDaniels will be positioned for a bigger next deal down the line. Instead of negotiating off his $29.8 million cap hit in 2028/29, he’ll be able to build from his $40 million salary in 2029/30 - giving him room for a 40% raise on top of that number.
The extension also works in his favor from a service-time standpoint. By the time his next contract would begin in 2030, McDaniels will have 10 years of NBA service, which would make him eligible for a more lucrative starting salary if he reaches free agency.
Minnesota got a slight break compared with what McDaniels could have commanded. His maximum starting salary on an extension would have come in at about $41.74 million, and he was eligible for as many as two new years. The former Washington standout will be extension-eligible again in October 2028.
The Wolves are encouraged by what McDaniels might do offensively this season next to new starting point guard LaMelo Ball. The 26-year-old turned in a strong preseason, averaging 14.8 points in 20.7 minutes across four games while shooting .606/.714/1.000.
In 2025/26, his sixth NBA season, McDaniels posted 14.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game while shooting .515/.412/.835 in 73 contests and continuing to serve as Minnesota’s top perimeter defender. The former No. 28 pick earned All-Defensive second-team honors in 2024 and appeared on multiple All-Defensive ballots again in 2025 and 2026.
McDaniels and Ayo Dosunmu are the only Timberwolves with guaranteed salary on the books for 2029/30. Ball and Anthony Edwards are signed through the 2028/29 season, while starting center Rudy Gobert has a $38 million player option for 2027/28. If he declines that option as part of an agreement, Gobert would remain extension-eligible through the regular season.
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The concern is less about one player carrying the load and more about how the roster fits together after losing size in the frontcourt. Finch wants more help on the glass from the wings and bigger scoring options, and the burden figures to fall on players such as Jaden McDaniels and Anthony Edwards to chip in. Gobert remains an elite rebounder, but Minnesota will need the whole rotation to buy in if it wants to avoid turning a manageable flaw into a playoff problem. [Read more 🡒]