Minnesota Timberwolves star, Andrew Wiggins, is on the verge of signing a monster deal. According to reports from ESPN this week, it looks like the team is ready to lock up the 2014 first-overall pick to a five-year deal worth a whopping $148 million. The hefty contract would immediately make Wiggins the highest-paid Canadian athlete in the world, comfortably eclipsing NHL phenom Connor McDavid's recent paycheck of $100 million.
It would also break a record for the highest-paid Canadian basketball player ever, beating out Steve Nash's 2009 paycheck which was worth roughly $13 million per season. Even before Wiggins was close to agreeing to his pending contract, fellow Canuck Tristan Thompson was set to break the record with a $16.4 million per season deal that will be activated in October.
With the newly inked contract, Wiggins could make $25.5 million per year. Of course, the Timberwolves have a bit of flexibility currently, as the new deal won't take into effect until the 2018-2019 season. Should the Vaughan, Ontario native take home more accolades this upcoming campaign, he and his representatives could leverage the success and bump up the salary to a cool $30 million. Until then, he'll have to settle for his current salary of just $7.57 million.
Despite the incredible boatload of money, Wiggins is a safe bet for the Timberwolves. Last year, the 22-year-old averaged a career-high 23.6 points per game with 4.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1 steal. He also managed to shoot 45.2 percent from the court and a 35.6 percent from long range. Andrew Wiggins also captured rookie of the year honours back in 2015, further proving his impressive potential. Oh, and he can also do stuff like this...
