Jaden McDaniels Rumors

The Wolves are not including Jaden McDaniels in any KD trade talks, per team sources, which means that one of Randle or Rudy Gobert would have to be the primary salary eater in the deal. Randle has a $31 million player option for next season. Gobert makes $35 million. Including either one of them not only helps in the salary matching portion of the deal, but both veterans would be reliable contributors who could help Devin Booker and the Suns compete now. It does not appear that Phoenix wants to tear down and rebuild as part of this trade. Randle and Gobert both figured prominently in Minnesota’s run to the conference finals last season. Both are floor-raisers for the regular season at a minimum, and both had big moments in the playoffs before struggling in the conference finals against OKC.

New York Times

This is not to say that the Wolves have much financial flexibility. If Julius Randle ($30,935,520) and Naz Reid ($15,022,464) opt into their player options, they will have seven players on eight-figure annual salaries, and are almost over the provisional tax threshold with just half a roster under contract. What the Wolves do not have, though, are bad contracts. Gobert’s resurgence in Minnesota (winning his fourth NBA Defensive Player of the Year award in the 2023-24 season) combined with a pay cut in the extension he signed in October sees his once-substantial price tag come down, and while Jaden McDaniels’ $131 million rookie extension will keep him expensive for the next four seasons, it is retradeable.

HoopsHype

Christopher Hine: Jaden McDaniels on not fouling Shai in Game 3: "Kept my hands out of his shooting motion, or just kept my hands off him at all. ... He'll use his arms to tangle in yours and my arms are so long, it's like they be getting caught places I don't even want them to be."

Twitter

Dave McMenamin: Anthony Edwards on the Wolves' defense waking up in Game 3: "It starts with Jaden McDaniels. He didn’t make an All-Defensive Team, which is terrible for [the] people who get a vote. He showed them again tonight why he should be on the defensive team."

Twitter

Clemente Almanza: FINAL: Wolves 143, Thunder 101 SGA - 14 points, 6 assists JDub - 13 points, 4 rebounds Chet - 10 points, 5 rebounds Edwards - 30 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists Randle - 24 points, 4 rebounds McDaniels - 10 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists OKC leads 2-1

x.com

Jaden McDaniels on his flagrant foul where he shoved SGA: "I just wanted to foul him. I wasn't even mad, I just had fouls to use"

reddit

Clemente Almanza: FINAL: Thunder 118, Wolves 103 SGA - 38 points, 8 assists JDub - 26 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists Chet - 22 points, 4 rebounds Edwards - 32 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists McDaniels - 22 points NAW - 17 points OKC leads 2-0

x.com

Bobby Marks: The Celtics and Timberwolves will receive a tax variance credit for Derrick White and Jaden McDaniels not being named to one of the All-Defensive teams. Both players had bonuses in their contracts that were deemed likely from the prior season. Boston: $250K Minnesota: $431K

x.com

Clemente Almanza: Jaden McDaniels: “We just gotta stop fouling. We’re being a little bit too physical. We gotta switch our gameplan of how the refs are calling the game… Just expect things to happen. He’s gonna get calls and the refs aren’t always gonna be on our side.”

x.com

Clemente Almanza: Jaden McDaniels on fouls: “We expected it. Myself just knowing coming in, he gets calls. Not everything is going to go our way. Nothing we can do about it. Just gotta keep playing.”

x.com

Dave McMenamin: Jaden McDaniels said the Thunder’s 17-2 run in the 3rd Q of Game 1 wasn’t just caused by OKC applying pressure, but by MIN letting their foot off the gas at the same time. He said the lesson learned is still playing hard until the final buzzer - “you don’t know what can happen” pic.x.com/SvyNUy3e96

Twitter

Jaden got his third and fourth fouls early in the third quarter. Did his absence affect you? Anthony Edwards: Yeah. Hell yeah. He’s the best defender we got. They usually put the five on him, and we play through him in the pocket. He’s aggressive and makes the right play over and over. Not having him hurts.

YouTube

Who do you feel are your comps in the NBA? Rasheer Fleming: I’m really my own player, I feel like. But if I could like see myself being in somebody’s like type of position from watching the playoffs, I could see myself in like the Naz Reid type of role or Jaden McDaniels, like OG Anunoby, those type of guys. Like they kinda do everything on the court, I feel like, for me in that type of position.

HoopsHype

Jaden McDaniels subbed in for Edwards, who exited through the tunnel opposite the Minnesota bench, helped by members of the Wolves' medical staff. "This one, I was really worried about, actually," Wolves coach Chris Finch said after the game. "This one, I was really planning on not seeing him the rest of the game, to be honest with you." Minnesota protected its lead with Edwards out, with Golden State only managing to cut the gap from 18 points to 17 by halftime as Julius Randle scored nine of his game-high 24 points in the second quarter.

ESPN