We have all seen the incredible strides Jaden McDaniels has made this season for the Minnesota Timberwolves. After coming into the league and operating primarily as a defensive stopper to begin his professional career, McDaniels has reached a level that many speculated of, but few outside of Minnesota truly believed he could ever actually reach.
In the last couple of months, Jaden has begun to put everything together offensively. He is creating off the dribble, progressing in his playmaking and now has several go-to moves where he can get to his spot and break down the defense. McDaniels is a far cry from the spot-up corner three-point shooter he was in the past, and the Timberwolves have benefitted massively from his growth. This is all well-documented at this point.
So it came as no surprise when HoopsHype's Michael Scotto reported on Friday that Minnesota was unwilling to move McDaniels at the Feb. 6 trade deadline. The report came as part of an article where Scotto talked about the Timberwolves' deadline pursuit of Kevin Durant, and which players had been discussed in a hypothetical deal that, as we know, did not ultimately come to fruition.
With this getting reported again. Everyone remember things get leaked for a reason.
— Andrew Dukowitz (@adukeMN) March 14, 2025
It makes no sense for the Wolves to leak stuff in the middle of a playoff run.
I think a lot of what’s coming out now is probably from Phoenix’s side to drive up KDs price.
Smokescreens https://t.co/BF0eACEUtM
Minnesota would not move Jaden McDaniels in a hypothetical KD trade
It obviously should not come as a surprise that Minnesota did not want to move McDaniels, as spectacular as he has been this season. So then we begin to ask, why did this bit of information get leaked now, when the Timberwolves are focused on the last month of the regular season before the playoffs begin? Zone Coverage's Andrew Dukowitz first brought up this train of thought, and when we begin to think about it, we can speculate that this leak may have come from Phoenix's side of things.
As Dukowitz reminds us, things get leaked for a reason. It would make no sense for anyone within the Timberwolves organization to put it out there that the team was unwilling to part ways with Jaden while Minnesota has such grander goals in their sights. It may just be that the Suns know Durant is on his way out, and they want to make sure they get as much as they possibly can for him when he leaves.
But regardless of who leaked this info to Scotto, it is clear that the Wolves have the proper view of McDaniels. He will obviously continue to be a core member of this organization for the foreseeable future.