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Minnesota Timberwolves To Prioritize Anthony Edwards and Jalen McDaniels Extensions

Anthony Edwards has become the face of the Minnesota Timberwolves and one of the bright young stars of the NBA. One of the items on the Timberwolves’ “to-do list” is to keep Edwards and Jaden McDaniels in the Twin Cities for the foreseeable future, per Star Tribune’s Chris Hine. 

Minnesota Timberwolves To Prioritize Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels Extensions, per Reports

Edwards and McDaniels are eligible for extensions as they enter the final year of their rookie contracts. Edwards, the former 2019 No. 1 overall pick, is eligible for a max five-year, $204 million deal, possibly reaching up to $240 million due to incentives. While McDaniels is also eligible for a nine-figure, five-year contract, it is unlikely that he will get more than a few extra seasons in the extension. Selected with the No. 28 overall selection in 2019, McDaniels made $2.1 million.

Edwards Shines Despite Timberwolves Struggles

 The Timberwolves acquired Rudy Gobert last summer to give Karl-Anthony Towns and Edwards some help and to compete for the Western Conference championship. But Gobert, Towns, and Edwards appeared in just 26 games together. 

Minnesota went 42-40 last year and nabbed the final playoff spot, despite losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in the opening round of the play-in tournament. It was the Timberwolves’ second straight playoff appearance, marking the first time they have reached the postseason in consecutive campaigns since the early 2000s. 

With Towns missing 65% of the Timberwolves’ games and D’Angelo Russell being dealt at the trade deadline, Edwards had to step up his game. He certainly did that.

Edwards has improved in each of his NBA seasons. The 21-year-old is coming off a career year and his first all-star appearance. He topped the 30-point mark 24 times, averaging 24.6 points on 45.9% shooting and 2.7 3-pointers at a 36.9% clip. Edwards upped his production to over 31 points a contest against the Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs, scoring 29 or more points in four of the five playoff games. against Denver,

The 6-4 shooting guard, who compiled nine double-doubles, added 5.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists. He also improved defensively, recording a career-best 0.0 BPM rating and 1.6 steals.

Assault Charges 

While Edwards had an outstanding season, he made a grave mistake by allowing his emotions to get the best of him following the Wolves loss to the Nuggets in Game 5. He faces two third-degree assault charges.

After sprinting off the court into the tunnel following the game, Edwards allegedly picked up a folding chair and swung it, hitting a female security guard and a second female employee, per Shapiro. Both women were reportedly injured, although neither injury was serious.

In Colorado, third-degree assault carries a potential jail punishment of up to 18 months and/or a fine of up to $1,000. It is a class-one misdemeanor. Edwards is due in court on June 9.

Edwards’s attorney, Harvey Steinberg, released a statement to Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report on Thursday defending his star client.

“With the game over, Anthony’s exit from the court was partially obstructed by a chair, which he moved and set down three steps later,” the statement began. “As video of the incident confirms, Anthony did not swing the chair at anyone and of course did not intend to hurt anyone. Despite these innocent faces, the Denver Police Department inexplicably chose to charge Anthony with two counts of misdemeanor assault. Anthony intends to vigorously defend against these baseless charges.”

Like Edwards, McDaniels has improved in each of his NBA seasons. McDaniels, an All-NBA Defensive team candidate, was called one of the most underrated players and a great defender.
“One of the guys that are ultra talented, that isn’t probably on everybody’s radar, is Jaden McDaniels in Minnesota,” George said. “He got game. Great defender, good feet, quick hands.”

https://twitter.com/jailen_bhakta/status/1635360415566942208

McDaniels averaged 12.1 points on 51.7% shooting from the field and 39.8% from the 3-point line. The 22-year-old forward compiled 3.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.0 blocks. He scored in double-figures 44 times, including seven games of 20 or more points.
However, McDaniels missed the Timberwolves’ final six games due to a broken hand. He suffered the injury when he punched a wall on the way to the locker room at halftime of Minnesota’s final game of the regular season.

Timberwolves Cap Situation

If Edwards gets a max deal, he will become the third Timberwolves to receive such a deal. Gobert and Towns are the other players with max deals.

Minnesota has 11 players under contract for next season, with salaries totaling over $144 million. Nickeil Alexander-Walker (RFA), Jaylen Nowell, and Naz Reid are the Timberwolves’ top free agents.

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