Ranking 13 Timberwolves contracts from bargain to nightmare

Not Good, but Not Bad

The contracts listed in this category are a mashup. Two players are likely paid a bit more than they should be, while the other's massive extension has yet to kick in.

5. Jaden McDaniels

Jaden McDaniels is earning a hair under $4 million this season. For a defensive-minded, young forward averaging 10-plus points per game, that's a steal. However, McDaniels signed a five-year, $136 million contract in 2023.

Going forward, the two-way wing will earn $22.5 million in the first season of the deal, before increasing by $2 million thereafter. Similar to the players listed from 6-to-8, McDaniels oozes potential.

He's played far more minutes than the youngsters listed prior, but he's not yet worth a $20-plus million price tag. This season, McDaniels game has seen a subtle decline. His efficiency differential is worse this season and the Wolves are statistically better off when he's off the floor.

Despite this season's shortcomings, McDaniels possesses the second-most potential on the roster. As a 22-year-old, he averaged 12.1 points, 0.9 steals, and 1.0 blocks while shooting 51.7 percent from the floor and 39.8 percent from deep.

4. Kyle Anderson

For starters, Kyle Anderson's contract really isn't that bad. He's an impending free agent who's raking in only $9 million. The UCLA product signed this deal back in 2022, for only two seasons and $18 million total.

At first, it looked like an absolute steal. Even leading into this season Anderson was dubbed as an underpaid contributor. Now more than halfway through the 2023-24 campaign, Anderson has underperformed.

The 30-year-old forward owns the worst net rating amongst the regular contributors and has seen a decline across every statistical category. Furthermore, Anderson has seemingly transformed back into a non-shooter.

Just a season ago, the Wolves' wing knocked down a career-high 41.0 percent of his triples. This season, he's down to 21.1 percent and looks far less comfortable launching from deep. Perhaps he'll redeem himself now in the starting lineup, but it's looking increasingly unlikely he'll command more than $10 million on the free-agent market.

3. Monte Morris

When analyzing the Wolves' roster, Monte Morris stuck out. Sure, he's the newest addition, but he's also overpaid at almost $10 million annually. In just 17 appearances between the Detroit Pistons and Minnesota, he's averaging 5.0 points and 2.4 assists.

Morris' usual near-50-percent conversation rate from the floor has also suffered. He's knocking down only 38.6 percent of his field goals as a member of the Timberwolves—11 percent fewer than his career average.

Admittedly, it may still take some time for Morris to get going. He missed the first half of the season dealing with a quadriceps injury. In his last healthy season, Morris averaged 12.6 points and 4.4 assists per game for the Denver Nuggets. He also canned 39.5 percent of his triples and ranked fifth in the NBA in assist-to-turnover ratio.

Although his stats are down, the Wolves' commitment to Morris is risk-free. He's playing out the last season of the three-year pact he signed in 2021. If Morris is incapable of replicating his previous production, he'll enter free agency as an unrestricted free agent.