Timberwolves agree to 1-year, $40M extension with McDaniels

Minnesota Timberwolves All-Defensive forward Jaden McDaniels has agreed to a one-year, $40 million extension that will keep him under contract through the 2029-30 season, agents Nima Namakian of Innovate Sports and Bill Duffy of WME Basketball told ESPN's Shams Charania on Monday. The deal will allow McDaniels to negotiate another extension as early as 2028, starting at a salary of up to 140% of his $40 million salary. He could also choose to enter free agency in the summer of 2030 as a 10-year veteran. McDaniels signed a five-year, $136 million deal in 2023. With the extension, Minnesota has $124 million committed to the 26-year-old forward over the next four years. McDaniels is coming off a career year in 2025-26. He averaged 14.8 points on 51.5% shooting (41% from 3), all of which were career-highs, to go along with 4.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.1 steals and 1.0 blocks. His production improved in the playoffs, upping his scoring to 16.3 points on 44% shooting, including a 32-point performance in Game 6 to help eliminate the Denver Nuggets in the first round. Since the Wolves selected McDaniels with the No. 28 overall pick in the 2020 draft, he has developed into a critical part of the Wolves core alongside Anthony Edwards, Rudy Gobert and the newly-acquired LaMelo Ball. McDaniels is the team's premier perimeter defender; he had the fourth-most defensive matchups against 2026 All-Stars last season, according to GeniusIQ. But his offensive output has also been on the rise in recent years, which prompted Edwards to say before the start of the year that he expects McDaniels to make an All-Star team this season.