The Timberwolves and forward Jayden McDaniels reached an agreement on a one-year, $40 million contract extension with the veterans, agents Nima Namakyan and Bill Duffy tell ESPN’s Shams Charanya (Link to Twitter).
McDaniels already had a three-year, $84 million contract, so his new extension will run through the 2029-30 season, bringing his total salary over the next four years to $124 million. With several guaranteed seasons remaining on his current deal, Monday was the deadline to sign an extension for the 2026/27 league season.
According to Michael Scott of HoopsHype (Link to Twitter), this is the first time in NBA history that a player with three guaranteed years remaining on a non-max contract has been extended.
As Charania points out (via Twitter), there are several reasons why it makes sense for McDaniels to sit out one year. First, it puts him in a better position to sign another extension down the road — a player who gets a veteran contract extension could receive a starting salary of up to 140% of his previous salary, so when McDaniels negotiates his next contract, he will be able to receive 40% of his $40M salary in 2029/30, rather than the $29.8M hit in 28/29.
Additionally, McDaniels will now have 10 years of NBA service under his belt before his next contract takes effect in 2030, so if he does reach free agency, he will be eligible for a more lucrative starting salary at that time.
McDaniels’ maximum starting salary with an extension would be around $41.74 million, so the Timberwolves took a small discount on that figure. The former Washington standout, who could sign up to two more years, will be eligible for an extension again in October 2028.
There are wolves said to the bulls on McDaniels’ potential to take a step forward offensively this season while playing alongside a new starting point guard Lamela’s ball. The 26-year-old had a big preseason, averaging 14.8 points in 20.7 minutes per game over four road games and posting a red-hot .606/.714/1000 shooting percentage.
In his sixth NBA season in 2025/26, McDaniels averaged 14.8 ppg, 4.2 ppg and 2.7 rpg on .515/.412/.835 shooting in 73 games (31.7 mpg) as Minnesota’s primary defensive operator. The former 28th overall pick earned second-team All-Defensive honors in 2024 and reappeared on the All-Defensive ballot in 2025 and 2026.
McDaniels and Ayo Dosunmu are now the only Timberwolves with guaranteed salaries in 2029/30. Ball and Anthony Edwards are under contract until the ’28/29 season, while playing in the centre Rudy Gober holds $38M player option for ’27/28. Gobert will be eligible for an extension throughout the regular season if he declines that option as part of the deal.
