Are We Sure Jaden McDaniels Should Be on the Table in a Giannis Deal?

According to insider reporting, the Timberwolves are legitimately in the mix to trade for Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is ready to move on from Milwaukee and could potentially be dealt before next week's February 5 trade deadline. Shams Charania listed the Wolves as one of four "strong suitors." Marc Stein indicated the Wolves may be in "direct pursuit" of Antetokounmpo, who is believed to think very highly of Anthony Edwards.

If such a blockbuster deal were to happen, the Wolves would have to gut their roster pretty significantly. Because they lack tradable first-round picks, they'd have a hard time putting together a winning offer for Antetokounmpo in a two-team deal with the Bucks. It would probably have to be a three- or four-team deal. And it would almost certainly result in the Wolves parting with Jaden McDaniels, at least one of Julius Randle or Rudy Gobert, and multiple young players and pick swaps.

If the result is acquiring Antetokounmpo to pair with Edwards, nothing should be off the table. We're talking about one of the three best basketball players in the world. The 31-year-old Antetokounmpo is a two-time MVP and one-time champion who has been selected to the All-NBA first team in each of the last seven seasons. That streak will come to an end this season due to injury — Giannis will be out for a while with a calf strain — but he's still clearly in the back half of his prime. Acquiring him would give the Wolves a real chance to get over the hump and win a title.

Giannis Antetokounmpo | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

With that said, such a deal wouldn't come without risk. Giannis is 31 years old and dealing with a calf strain, which can be a concerning injury. He may not play 50 games this season, and he's only played 70 one time since 2018-19. His numbers are also down ever so slightly this year (though they're still elite: 28 points, 10 rebounds, and 5.6 assists on career-high 65-percent shooting). He's also set to make roughly $60 million in each of the next two seasons.

And there's one other element that's worth discussing. By trading McDaniels for Antetokounmpo — and it's hard to imagine a scenario where they keep Jaden in a Giannis deal — they'd be making a risky move in a couple ways. Not only is McDaniels 25 years old and one of the best two-way role players in the NBA, he's also very close to Edwards, who makes it known all the time that McDaniels is his favorite player in the league.

On Thursday night, McDaniels had 21 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 blocks in the Wolves' wire-to-wire win over the league-leading Thunder. He made 8 of 11 shots and all five of his three-point attempts. For the season, McDaniels is shooting 44 percent from deep on 3.4 attempts per game. He's also an outstanding perimeter defender capable of making life difficult on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Doncic, and the sport's other elite guards.

Twolves Jaden McDaniels 21 PTS (8-11 FG, 5-5 3P, 95% TS), 4 REB, 4 AST, 2 BLK vs. Thunder

Primary defender on SGA, held him to a season-low -22 (+/-) https://t.co/Zjq5EBgu4b pic.twitter.com/KlowlLpe6B
— Role Player Performances (@BenchHighlights) January 30, 2026

Afterwards, Edwards spoke glowingly of his six-year teammate, as he always does.

"You know how much I love Jaden," Ant said. "I'm super happy for him. I told him to start the season, the work's showing. From previous years, his trey ball was super flat. And it's like every time he shoot it now, I think it's going in. ... Like I always tell you, that's my favorite player in the league. I love everything about Jaden. Everything that he does on the court defensively, offensively, for us as a team, on the bench he's always cheering his teammates on no matter how the game go for him. He had a big night for us tonight, and when he plays like this we're hard to beat."

Edwards would undoubtedly be excited to team up with Antetokounmpo. But if that experiment didn't work out for whatever reason — diminished depth, age/injuries for Giannis — and McDaniels was gone, one could imagine a world where Edwards gets frustrated and everything falls apart for Minnesota.

The Wolves have now won two straight games against the Thunder. They've beaten the Spurs twice this season. They're 0-3 against the Nuggets but have always been competitive against Nikola Jokic and company. Their current roster, along with some sort of pre-deadline addition, might be good enough to win a championship this year or in the near future. Largely due to the McDaniels angle, whether or not it's worth breaking up this core and going all in on Giannis may not be as obvious of a question as some may think.

Couple things about this Giannis chatter.
Really difficult to see a trade without involving McDaniels
For about the 40th time in his career, Ant said last night that Jaden was his favorite player--always with a huge smile
Jaden will turn 26 in Sept; Giannis 32 in December
— brittrobson (@brittrobson) January 30, 2026

More Timberwolves coverage