The Official Jaden McDaniels Thread

[Note30]

Looking at last touches point of view, I am not sure Jaden is ready to be the third guy and I don't think we should put the pressure on him this year. If he grows into it, that would be great. I think Reid that Conley makes sense. I would expect Gobert to be higher or equal to Conley/Milton. Gobert still has a very high conversion rate even though he is limited to certain plays. As a side note, Gobert is one player that could be benefit from the bank-in free throws. Most of his miss are long.

This is it though. This is the year. If we're gonna pay him upwards of 25 mill he's gotta do it. Can't be soft.

I'm very much in the camp that our ceiling is as high as Ant and Jadens potential. We have a closing window. He has to make the jump or that's it for this version of the team. 3rd option is not a lot to ask.

No. The only way it has to be THIS YEAR for him to "earn" that amount of money is if it's a one-year deal.

But that's not the what I said. I said if he's the kind of player we're gonna pay that much money (4 years 100mill plus) to he has to produce otherwise we're wasting more heavy cap space on yet another offensively limited player and potentially limited player.

I'm not saying he can't grow over the course of that next contract but the ceiling for this team does drop.

I don't think it's an unreasonable expectation.

He needs to at least be the third option this year. The future of this team rests on the abilities of our youngest starters unfortunately.

[KGdaBom]

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Please don't be more than $25 Million per year. PLEASE.

[Note30]

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Please don't be more than $25 Million per year. PLEASE.

It's going to be atleast that much.

[Klomp]

This is it though. This is the year. If we're gonna pay him upwards of 25 mill he's gotta do it. Can't be soft.

I'm very much in the camp that our ceiling is as high as Ant and Jadens potential. We have a closing window. He has to make the jump or that's it for this version of the team. 3rd option is not a lot to ask.

No. The only way it has to be THIS YEAR for him to "earn" that amount of money is if it's a one-year deal.

But that's not the what I said. I said if he's the kind of player we're gonna pay that much money (4 years 100mill plus) to he has to produce otherwise we're wasting more heavy cap space on yet another offensively limited player and potentially limited player.

I'm not saying he can't grow over the course of that next contract but the ceiling for this team does drop.

I don't think it's an unreasonable expectation.

He needs to at least be the third option this year. The future of this team rests on the abilities of our youngest starters unfortunately.

It's not a situation where he's limited because of ability. It's due to the current roster construction and scheme, which will change over the course of the contract.

Saying Jaden won't be the third option this year is not me saying Jaden doesn't have the physical ability to ever be the No. 3. He just won't have that role this year. And that's fine. As he continues to grow offensively and as we continue to give him more defensive help, we can develop that part of his game over time.

[KGdaBom]

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Please don't be more than $25 Million per year. PLEASE.

It's going to be atleast that much.

I'm fine with at least that much. I'm not good with anything more.

[Note30]

No. The only way it has to be THIS YEAR for him to "earn" that amount of money is if it's a one-year deal.

But that's not the what I said. I said if he's the kind of player we're gonna pay that much money (4 years 100mill plus) to he has to produce otherwise we're wasting more heavy cap space on yet another offensively limited player and potentially limited player.

I'm not saying he can't grow over the course of that next contract but the ceiling for this team does drop.

I don't think it's an unreasonable expectation.

He needs to at least be the third option this year. The future of this team rests on the abilities of our youngest starters unfortunately.

It's not a situation where he's limited because of ability. It's due to the current roster construction and scheme, which will change over the course of the contract.

Saying Jaden won't be the third option this year is not me saying Jaden doesn't have the physical ability to ever be the No. 3. He just won't have that role this year. And that's fine. As he continues to grow offensively and as we continue to give him more defensive help, we can develop that part of his game over time.

That sounds limiting.

[KGdaBom]

But that's not the what I said. I said if he's the kind of player we're gonna pay that much money (4 years 100mill plus) to he has to produce otherwise we're wasting more heavy cap space on yet another offensively limited player and potentially limited player.

I'm not saying he can't grow over the course of that next contract but the ceiling for this team does drop.

I don't think it's an unreasonable expectation.

He needs to at least be the third option this year. The future of this team rests on the abilities of our youngest starters unfortunately.

It's not a situation where he's limited because of ability. It's due to the current roster construction and scheme, which will change over the course of the contract.

Saying Jaden won't be the third option this year is not me saying Jaden doesn't have the physical ability to ever be the No. 3. He just won't have that role this year. And that's fine. As he continues to grow offensively and as we continue to give him more defensive help, we can develop that part of his game over time.

That sounds limiting.

It is limiting and limits do exist.

[TimberKat]

This is it though. This is the year. If we're gonna pay him upwards of 25 mill he's gotta do it. Can't be soft.

I'm very much in the camp that our ceiling is as high as Ant and Jadens potential. We have a closing window. He has to make the jump or that's it for this version of the team. 3rd option is not a lot to ask.

No. The only way it has to be THIS YEAR for him to "earn" that amount of money is if it's a one-year deal.

But that's not the what I said. I said if he's the kind of player we're gonna pay that much money (4 years 100mill plus) to he has to produce otherwise we're wasting more heavy cap space on yet another offensively limited player and potentially limited player.

I'm not saying he can't grow over the course of that next contract but the ceiling for this team does drop.

I don't think it's an unreasonable expectation.

He needs to at least be the third option this year. The future of this team rests on the abilities of our youngest starters unfortunately.

So, that is why I think he is a 20mil player right now (25mil is top for me). He is really good but not all star or Mikal Bridges or 3rd option. Use Denver analog for packing order, Ants/Towns is Jokic/Murray, Gobert is MPJ, JMcD is Gordon. I do agree he has to produce more: foul less, better help defender, rebound more, and develop a go to move. I don't know if he ever will become the second star or reliable second scorer or even score at DLo level. It doesn't feel like he is that kind of player. Definitely could be a reliable starter like a Aaron Gordon which is worth the 20mil. I would love to trade for a third option (that is what I missed after DLo trade), as of now, it's Conley, Naz, Milton. I am sure the Wolves organization is trying to develop/maximize JMcD but not sure forcing him into a second/third option scorer is the way to go. I see your point about the team's ceiling and run more plays for him but I look at it differently and see the ceiling as how well the twin towers work and how well Ant plays as a team player (especially with Gobert).

[Klomp]

For the last few years, I can't help but see him and see a young Kevin Garnett. I see a lot of the same physical tools, defensive intensity and even body type.

[Mamba4Goat]

For the last few years, I can't help but see him and see a young Kevin Garnett. I see a lot of the same physical tools, defensive intensity and even body type.

Same personality too!

[TimberKat]

For the last few years, I can't help but see him and see a young Kevin Garnett. I see a lot of the same physical tools, defensive intensity and even body type.

Yes, that is a good comparison but not as talented (not yet anyway and not at the same age). My modern day KG is Giannis. I see KG as a super sized Scottie Pippen.

[Klomp]

So, that is why I think he is a 20mil player right now (25mil is top for me). He is really good but not all star or Mikal Bridges or 3rd option. Use Denver analog for packing order, Ants/Towns is Jokic/Murray, Gobert is MPJ, JMcD is Gordon. I do agree he has to produce more: foul less, better help defender, rebound more, and develop a go to move. I don't know if he ever will become the second star or reliable second scorer or even score at DLo level. It doesn't feel like he is that kind of player. Definitely could be a reliable starter like a Aaron Gordon which is worth the 20mil. I would love to trade for a third option (that is what I missed after DLo trade), as of now, it's Conley, Naz, Milton. I am sure the Wolves organization is trying to develop/maximize JMcD but not sure forcing him into a second/third option scorer is the way to go. I see your point about the team's ceiling and run more plays for him but I look at it differently and see the ceiling as how well the twin towers work and how well Ant plays as a team player (especially with Gobert).

Again, it's not a matter of ability. He could be the second or third option in the NBA today. The difference lies in whether or not that team would be good. I'm not sure it would be. He would have no issue being the second or third option in Charlotte, Orlando or Washington. A team fighting to get past the first round of the playoffs? I'm not sure that's gonna work.

But that doesn't mean he should be shortchanged in contract talks. He can earn big money on the market, but I don't want to give him that opportunity. I'd hate for it to turn into a DeAndre Ayton situation.

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[Domejandro]

Please don't be more than $25 Million per year. PLEASE.

It's going to be atleast that much.

I'm fine with at least that much. I'm not good with anything more.

Prepare to be disappointed, Jaden is getting paid big time.

($25MM is below market value nowadays anyways, assuming even decent offensive improvement.)

[KGdaBom]

It's going to be atleast that much.

I'm fine with at least that much. I'm not good with anything more.

Prepare to be disappointed, Jaden is getting paid big time.

($25MM is below market value nowadays anyways, assuming even decent offensive improvement.)

As a market in general the Twin Cities area sports teams IMO have a big history of overpaying to keep our own. The Vikings being the biggest offender. Casual NBA fans have either no knowledge of who Jaden McDaniels is and if they've even heard of him probably couldn't name the team he plays for. I don't get these contracts. He can play basketball pretty well. He's never sniffed an all star nod. That's worth $30 million or more a year? It's not my money.

[younggunsmn]

I'm fine with at least that much. I'm not good with anything more.

Prepare to be disappointed, Jaden is getting paid big time.

($25MM is below market value nowadays anyways, assuming even decent offensive improvement.)

As a market in general the Twin Cities area sports teams IMO have a big history of overpaying to keep our own. The Vikings being the biggest offender. Casual NBA fans have either no knowledge of who Jaden McDaniels is and if they've even heard of him probably couldn't name the team he plays for. I don't get these contracts. He can play basketball pretty well. He's never sniffed an all star nod. That's worth $30 million or more a year? It's not my money.

This time 3 years ago I didn't expect my grocery cost would double in just 3 years either.
Times change. A dollar today is not the same as a dollar tomorrow.
I know it looks like an enormous amount of money (and it is), but it's a big business.

It's relative. A better perspective is to look at it as a % of the salary cap starting with the 24/25 season.
If he signs an extension starting at 25 mil per, that's 16.7% (almost exactly 1/6th) of the salary cap.
When Ant will be earning 25% or 30% of the cap and KAT 35%.
I think that's well in line with what Jaden is worth.

Regarding his role in the offense, he's simply way too talented not to be shooting the ball more.

[younggunsmn]

How many plays did we run for Jaden last year and how many did we run for Rudy?

Rudy was basically the 2nd focal point of the offense for most of the year last year and Jaden spent the entire season essentially standing in the corner waiting either for a pass or an opportunity to cut.

There is a ton of action you can run for Jaden (much of it using Rudy/KAT as a pick setter) that was not being utilized enough last year.
He's getting so good at attacking the basket downhill and finishing.

I think our best route to opening up the court more for KAT and Ant is to turn Jaden into an offensive threat.
We tried the "lets run 600 pick and rolls for Rudy and let him chase lobs" route and it was a disaster most of the time, especially late in games.
We need to try to better utilize our other lower usage frontcourt player.

Or teams will keep trying to hide their weak defender on him (for example Trae Young).
Jaden can be a matchup nightmare for teams if/when he takes that next step.

I hear what you're saying but realistically, that should have been done last year. I imagine most of the plays being set for Gobert last year may go to Towns this year, which is fair IMO.

I do think the number of last touches should go Ant, Towns, Jaden, Reid, Conley, Milton, Gobert, Anderson

Looking at last touches point of view, I am not sure Jaden is ready to be the third guy and I don't think we should put the pressure on him this year. If he grows into it, that would be great. I think Reid that Conley makes sense. I would expect Gobert to be higher or equal to Conley/Milton. Gobert still has a very high conversion rate even though he is limited to certain plays. As a side note, Gobert is one player that could be benefit from the bank-in free throws. Most of his miss are long.

You are advocating bank-in free throw attempts?
Was the granny shot shooting coach offered more money from another team?

[Note30]

I hear what you're saying but realistically, that should have been done last year. I imagine most of the plays being set for Gobert last year may go to Towns this year, which is fair IMO.

I do think the number of last touches should go Ant, Towns, Jaden, Reid, Conley, Milton, Gobert, Anderson

Looking at last touches point of view, I am not sure Jaden is ready to be the third guy and I don't think we should put the pressure on him this year. If he grows into it, that would be great. I think Reid that Conley makes sense. I would expect Gobert to be higher or equal to Conley/Milton. Gobert still has a very high conversion rate even though he is limited to certain plays. As a side note, Gobert is one player that could be benefit from the bank-in free throws. Most of his miss are long.

You are advocating bank-in free throw attempts?
Was the granny shot shooting coach offered more money from another team?

Granny shot has a higher percentage actually.

[Dewey]

I'm fine with at least that much. I'm not good with anything more.

Prepare to be disappointed, Jaden is getting paid big time.

($25MM is below market value nowadays anyways, assuming even decent offensive improvement.)

As a market in general the Twin Cities area sports teams IMO have a big history of overpaying to keep our own. The Vikings being the biggest offender. Casual NBA fans have either no knowledge of who Jaden McDaniels is and if they've even heard of him probably couldn't name the team he plays for. I don't get these contracts. He can play basketball pretty well. He's never sniffed an all star nod. That's worth $30 million or more a year? It's not my money.

Agree… but I think sometimes there gets to be some added $$ to help keep place with potential target trade values … not sure if that makes sense, but in a way, it can make it easier to pull off a bigger trade.

[twolves31]

Prepare to be disappointed, Jaden is getting paid big time.

($25MM is below market value nowadays anyways, assuming even decent offensive improvement.)

As a market in general the Twin Cities area sports teams IMO have a big history of overpaying to keep our own. The Vikings being the biggest offender. Casual NBA fans have either no knowledge of who Jaden McDaniels is and if they've even heard of him probably couldn't name the team he plays for. I don't get these contracts. He can play basketball pretty well. He's never sniffed an all star nod. That's worth $30 million or more a year? It's not my money.

This time 3 years ago I didn't expect my grocery cost would double in just 3 years either.
Times change. A dollar today is not the same as a dollar tomorrow.
I know it looks like an enormous amount of money (and it is), but it's a big business.

It's relative. A better perspective is to look at it as a % of the salary cap starting with the 24/25 season.
If he signs an extension starting at 25 mil per, that's 16.7% (almost exactly 1/6th) of the salary cap.
When Ant will be earning 25% or 30% of the cap and KAT 35%.
I think that's well in line with what Jaden is worth.

Regarding his role in the offense, he's simply way too talented not to be shooting the ball more.

The salary cap isn't the cost of eggs or a case of mountain dew. The salary cap is up 24.6% in the 3 years, which yes is a big jump. 2 years ago Bridges signed a 4 year 90 million dollar contract, while Jaden certainly has the potential of being better than Bridges one day, it's more than likely he doesn't get close to as good as Bridges who is still improving quite a bit. The salary cap is up 21% from 2 years ago, a massive jump no doubt, but if we assumed Jaden is equal to Bridges (he's not) that would be 4 years 108.9 million. That is 27.2 million average per year, if we think Jaden is anywhere near the player Bridges is. I think we offer him 4 year 100 million as our final offer, and if he turns it down we let this season play out and see his improvements. If his scoring goes up slightly, his 3pt percentage drops like it did in his 2nd season, and he continues to struggle rebounding and staying on the court, I drop the price next summer. If he comes out and shoots near 40% from 3 again on more volume, ups the scoring to 15+ ups his rebounds to 6+ and drops his fouls per game from 3.4 to 2.5, than you offer him a significant contract.

[Domejandro]

As a market in general the Twin Cities area sports teams IMO have a big history of overpaying to keep our own. The Vikings being the biggest offender. Casual NBA fans have either no knowledge of who Jaden McDaniels is and if they've even heard of him probably couldn't name the team he plays for. I don't get these contracts. He can play basketball pretty well. He's never sniffed an all star nod. That's worth $30 million or more a year? It's not my money.

This time 3 years ago I didn't expect my grocery cost would double in just 3 years either.
Times change. A dollar today is not the same as a dollar tomorrow.
I know it looks like an enormous amount of money (and it is), but it's a big business.

It's relative. A better perspective is to look at it as a % of the salary cap starting with the 24/25 season.
If he signs an extension starting at 25 mil per, that's 16.7% (almost exactly 1/6th) of the salary cap.
When Ant will be earning 25% or 30% of the cap and KAT 35%.
I think that's well in line with what Jaden is worth.

Regarding his role in the offense, he's simply way too talented not to be shooting the ball more.

The salary cap isn't the cost of eggs or a case of mountain dew. The salary cap is up 24.6% in the 3 years, which yes is a big jump. 2 years ago Bridges signed a 4 year 90 million dollar contract, while Jaden certainly has the potential of being better than Bridges one day, it's more than likely he doesn't get close to as good as Bridges who is still improving quite a bit. The salary cap is up 21% from 2 years ago, a massive jump no doubt, but if we assumed Jaden is equal to Bridges (he's not) that would be 4 years 108.9 million. That is 27.2 million average per year, if we think Jaden is anywhere near the player Bridges is. I think we offer him 4 year 100 million as our final offer, and if he turns it down we let this season play out and see his improvements. If his scoring goes up slightly, his 3pt percentage drops like it did in his 2nd season, and he continues to struggle rebounding and staying on the court, I drop the price next summer. If he comes out and shoots near 40% from 3 again on more volume, ups the scoring to 15+ ups his rebounds to 6+ and drops his fouls per game from 3.4 to 2.5, than you offer him a significant contract.

At the time of signing, the consensus was that Phoenix got a great deal on the extension number. Even with that said, you can’t compare Jaden McDaniels’ trajectory to Mikal Bridges’, his improvement was not guaranteed; it makes more sense to directly compare their first three seasons.

I would expect something like $120MM/4, as the likely deal.