Anthony Edwards & The Timberwolves Reached On NBA Mega Contract
Anthony Edwards, the top choice in the 2020 NBA Draft, and the Minnesota Timberwolves have agreed on a contract extension at the top of the rookie scale.
Anthony Edwards, the top choice in the 2020 NBA Draft, and the Minnesota Timberwolves have agreed on a contract extension at the top of the rookie scale.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Anthony Edwards, the top choice in the 2020 NBA Draft, and the Minnesota Timberwolves have agreed on a contract extension at the top of the rookie scale.
In the following season, Edwards’ rookie deal’s last year, he’ll make $13.5 million. An estimated $204 million over five years will be spent on the extension, starting in the 2024–25 season. If he gets selected to the All-NBA squad in his 2023–2024 season, Anthony Edwards may earn an extra $40 million throughout the deal.
During his third NBA season, the 21-year-old averaged 24.6 points (46/37/76 shooting splits), 5.8 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and 1.6 steals in 36 minutes in 79 games. For the first time since 2004, the Timberwolves have appeared in the playoffs back-to-back times. However, they lost both times in the opening round.
In a five-game series in April against the eventual champion Denver Nuggets, Edwards averaged an effective 31.6 points per game. In February, he made his first All-Star appearance and showed All-NBA and All-Defensive skills. He is a brick of an athlete at 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, and in three years, he has missed just seven games due to injury.
Tim Connelly, the president of basketball operations for the Timberwolves, praised Edwards during his postseason interview for the 2022–23 campaign, referring to him as “the best 21-year-old in the world” and “a great, great kid.” Connelly predicted that both Edwards and third-year forward Jaden McDaniels would receive substantial offers in restricted free agency.
Following his team’s 42-40 defeat against the Nuggets, Connelly spoke to the media.
“The minute we can talk, we’ll be very aggressive.”
“Those guys are fantastic. Both are excited about the long-term future here. The minute we’re allowed to talk, those guys are going to have really, really nice offers with a lot of money in their inbox.”
In May, Connelly spoke with Chris Hine of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
“Edwards played word of an expected max extension as only he could.”
“I’m not even—that’s cool. The money is cool.”
“But I love the game of basketball. I don’t do it for the money. I do it because I just want to be known who they say, ‘He was a great player.'”
His next prize for that voyage is this first max contract.
