SEATTLE — Former Federal Way High School and University of Washington forward Jaden McDaniels became the latest basketball star to agree to a nine-figure contract extension earlier this week.
McDaniels and the National Basketball Association's (NBA) Minnesota Timberwolves agreed to a five-year contract extension worth up to $136 million, his agents Nima Namakian and Bill Duffy told multiple outlets Monday.
Since he was selected in the first round of the 2020 NBA Draft, McDaniels has developed into one of the NBA's best individual defensive players. McDaniels routinely defends the opposing team's best player for a large percentage of each game and excels in limiting openings for good shots.
While an average annual salary of $26.2 million might sound astronomical to most, McDaniels actually would be the fourth-highest-paid player on his own team. Karl-Anthony Towns ($55.6 million), Anthony Edwards ($41.1 million) and Rudy Gobert ($40 million) all have a higher average annual contract value than McDaniels.
McDaniels was one of the highest-rated recruits in the country by his senior season at Federal Way and chose to stay close to home and play at UW for one year despite offers from many major Divison I schools.
McDaniels has played three seasons with the Timberwolves. In 2022-23, McDaniels averaged 12.1 points and 3.9 rebounds per game while shooting 39.8% from behind the three-point line.
McDaniels did not play in Minnesota's first game of the season Wednesday against the Toronto Raptors due to a left calf strain during the preseason.
