McDaniels Locked Into Minnesota Through 2030

The Minnesota Timberwolves have secured one of the few pieces they haven't touched this offseason. Jaden McDaniels has accepted a one-year, $40 million extension, according to Shams Charania on ESPN, with his agent Nima Namakian later confirming to Associated Press. The small forward, who had three years remaining on his contract, will remain in Minneapolis at least through the summer of 2030.

The structure is unusual. Rather than reworking the deal, Minnesota adds just one year to the end of the five-year contract McDaniels signed before the 2023-24 season. His salary will increase from approximately $29.8 million in 2028-29 to $40 million in 2029-30. For the franchise, it means keeping costs controlled for one more year while organizing their salary cap around the max contracts of Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball. For the player, it opens the door to another extension in two years, already at a higher salary.

His best season, and a playoff run to remember

The extension comes after his best career season. In the 2025-26 season, he played 73 games and averaged 14.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists, shooting 51.5% from the field and 41.2% from three-point range, while maintaining the defensive work that earned him All-NBA Defensive Second Team honors in 2024. In the playoffs, he took another step: in the series against the Denver Nuggets, he averaged 17.8 points and 6.8 rebounds and closed out the series with 32 points in Game 6.

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More responsibility on a new-look team

His role this season will be larger. The departures of Julius Randle and Naz Reid have left Minnesota with few natural power forwards, and the team has loaded almost all its talent on the perimeter with the arrival of LaMelo Ball. McDaniels and Jonathan Kuminga appear to be tasked with filling that gap, which will force the small forward to stretch even further a defensive versatility that was already his greatest asset.