The Minnesota Timberwolves are going to, at bare minimum, need to tread water for the two-or-so months that Anthony Edwards will be out following an arthroscopic knee surgery. While the initial news is heartbreaking considering the season he was starting to put together, the Wolves should have more than enough to survive. Not to mention it fell on one of the easier parts of their schedule.
However, there is another wrinkle that maybe isn't getting talked about as much as it should. The Wolves are now likely going to have to wait one more offseason for Edwards to sign a new extension with the team. Going into the year, assuming he met the games requirement and made All-NBA, the plan was for him to sign the supermax extension next summer.
Now, he'll likely miss the 65-game requirement, meaning he won't be eligible for the supermax yet.
Don't panic, Wolves fans, he isn't leaving, just prolonging the inevitable
It's not a foregone conclusion that Edwards won't sign a contract extension; it just becomes a lot less likely now. He could do what Victor Wembanyama did this past offseason and sign a standard max extension instead of a supermax. It would greatly help the team in terms of cap flexibility.
On the flip side, though, he should not be expected to take a discount, nor should he be ridiculed if he doesn't do so. Edwards 100 percent deserves every penny of a supermax contract, and if he chooses to hold out on signing the deal one more year to ensure that he's able to sign it, then that is more than fine.
After this season, he still has two more years under his contract, so the Wolves aren't in any real jeopardy of him leaving or entering unrestricted free agency. Edwards getting the surgery right now is all about his future outlook with the team and ensuring his long-term health for years to come.
Anthony Edwards could do what Jaden McDaniels just did
What McDaniels did was sign a one-year extension with Minnesota to then have more leverage in a future long-term deal. What Edwards could do is similar; this offseason, he can sign a one-year standard max extension to push his contract end date to the 2029-30 season instead of the 2028-29 season, as it is right now.
No matter what Edwards decides to do, whether it's to wait and sign the supermax two offseasons from now, sign a one-year extension this offseason to push back his free agency, or simply sign a standard max this offseason, one thing is clear: the Wolves are not in any danger of losing their franchise player.
Edwards is clearly happy where he's at. He said himself that he was thrilled with all of the moves that Tim Connelly made in the offseason, and the vibes were better than ever to start the season. He's confident that the talent on the team can keep them afloat while he rehabs, and when he comes back, he can hit the ground running in the conquest for a title.
Still, his injury clearly changes the outlook of a possible extension this summer.
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