The Minnesota Timberwolves have had one of the best offseasons in the NBA. They acquired Jimmy Butler on draft night in exchange for Kris Dunn and Zach LaVine, and also added Taj Gibson, Jeff Teague and Jamal Crawford in free agency.
Now, the Wolves have turned their focus inwards as they look to lock up Andrew Wiggins with a big extension. Via ESPN:
Wiggins and the Timberwolves are engaged in contract negotiations on a five-year extension that would be worth nearly $148 million, according to Timberwolves coach and president of basketball operations Tom Thibodeau.
"We're working on it right now," Thibodeau said Wednesday during a news conference to introduce Jamal Crawford.
The extension would take effect in 2018-19, with a starting salary of $25.5 million that season. The sides could agree to terms where, if Wiggins made an All-NBA team or was named Defensive Player of the Year in 2017-18, that figure would jump to $30.6 million.
At just 22 years old, Wiggins averaged 23.6 points per game last season, his third in the league.
Securing Wiggins for the long haul would be a wise decision for the Wolves. He's already shown the ability to be an impressive scorer quite early in his career, and along with Jimmy Butler and Karl-Anthony Towns, would form a formidable trio in Minnesota.
