Jaden McDaniels seems to be undervalued by most outside of the Minnesota Timberwolves’ fanbase. Others are brought up before him when it comes to the best wing defenders, and McDaniels' jump on the offensive end hasn’t been talked about enough.
It’s always good to see someone notice the value that the 25-year-old McDaniels provides. On Wednesday, Sam Quinn of CBS Sports ranked the 15 best value contracts in the NBA (rookie contracts not included). His list includes McDaniels, who comes in as his fourth-best value contract.
Three years left on deal after this season
In October of 2023, McDaniels signed a five-year, $131 million rookie scale extension that began in 2024-25. After this season, the 2023-24 All-Defensive Second Team member has three years for slightly more than $84 million left on the deal.
At the time of the new deal, some believed it was made as a projection by the Timberwolves as to what McDaniels could become as a player. The 28th overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft had just turned 23 years old when the extension was struck upon. Safe to say this projection has paid off for the Wolves.
Last season, Jaden averaged a career-best 12.2 points per game, but he has taken it a step further in 2025-26. The scoring average has increased by three more points. The shooting splits of .525/.441/.852 have been phenomenal.
Of course, McDaniels is still an awesome defender. In part of his blurb on him, Quinn writes,
“McDaniels is never going to be a star, but he's remarkably portable. Wings are the single most prized commodity in basketball, and now that McDaniels is at least a good offensive player, his incredibly valuable defense can shine unimpeded.”
Becoming one of the best two-way wings, it’s fun to see McDaniels get more of a spotlight placed on him. There’s a fairly good chance that he can find his way onto his second All-Defensive team after the season. He’s also been remarkably durable, missing just two games this year and none in 2024-25.
Best contract for a non All-Star?
Quinn only ranked three contracts over McDaniels. They are Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks, Jalen Johnson of the Atlanta Hawks, and Deni Avdija of the Portland Trail Blazers. Being that all three of those players were named All-Stars, it can be said that Quinn believes McDaniels has the most valuable contract for a non All-Star.
Had Jaden made eight more of his free throws, he would be a 50/40/90 player. On top of that, he’s someone who brings it night in and night out on the defensive end. That’s worth substantially more in today’s NBA than the $26.2 million average annual value that McDaniels signed for.