The Minnesota Timberwolves continued their offseason of signings by securing the young star Andrew Wiggins to a max contract extension, paying him a huge $148 million over 5 years. What makes him worth all the money?
Andrew Wiggins joined the Minnesota Timberwolves back in 2014, as the first overall pick sent our way via the Kevin Love trade that started the original new-era of Timberwolves basketball (and we’ve had a new-new era every year since).
But seeing as Wiggins was the ORIGINAL new-era Timberwolf, it seems about right he’s finally getting paid for what he’s done for the franchise.
He may not be heralded as the face of the franchise anymore (Karl-Anthony Towns will be getting his own extension next year), but Wiggins was part of that big trade for a reason. He marked a new direction for the Wolves, worth dealing one of their most-accomplished players in franchise history for, and it seems it will finally be paying off this year, with the acquisition of new talent to fill in the gaps around Wiggins and Towns on the court.
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Through his three years in Minnesota, Wiggins has averaged 20.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists and a steal in 36.2 minutes per game, shooting 45 percent from the field.
While fellow max-contract extension receiver Joel Embiid has had a number of questions raised over his durability, playing just 31 games since he was drafted third in the same year Wiggins was first, Wiggins has played 82 games twice, and missed just one game in the 2015-16 season, starting all of his 245 appearances.
Of course we all know Wiggins’ ability, but what’s the harm in watching the highlights once more?
Now, with a max-contract extension, Wiggins is going to have to make some improvements to his defense, which is an area which he has struggled so far in his career. His rebounds and assists could jump a little higher too, but that might not be all that necessary with the new wolves joining the fold.
It’s hard to see anything other than a career year for Wiggins. His points have steadily improved so far in his career, and here at Dunking With Wolves, he is the co-winner of our prediction for Most Improved Player of the Year.
Despite a number of career-highs possibly on the way this year, Wiggins has produced some impressive performances in his career, worthy of his max-contract. Let’s take a look back at some of the best.