The Minnesota Timberwolves are about to make their young star Andrew Wiggins a very rich individual. Wiggins, as the first pick of the 2014 NBA Draft, already was making a lot of money, but not as much as he may be in line for.
The young stud is set to sign a five-year, $148 million contract with the Minneapolis-based franchise, according to many reports. With that deal, Wiggins would become the highest-paid Canadian athlete ever.
Even when taking into account all major sports, Wiggins' average annual value of $29.6 million would blow the competition out of the water. In comparison, the best Canadian NBA player ever, Steve Nash, made $147 million in his career. That is around a million less than Wiggins is going to make in five years.
Article Continues BelowCurrently, the highest paid Canadian is Tristan Thompson. The Cleveland Cavaliers gave Thompson a five-year, $82 million deal in 2015. This means that, on average, Thompson makes around $16.4 million annually. That means that Wiggins would make around $13 million more annually.
Wiggins is entering his fourth season in the NBA. In all of his three seasons, he massively improved. Last season, he averaged 23.6 points and 4.0 rebounds per game, and added one steal per contest. However, there are worries about his play on the defensive end. Wiggins' effort on defense was questioned on many occasions, but that might change, with Jimmy Butler joining the squad.
Butler is a hard-worker and an excellent defender, who demands a lot from his teammates. It is widely believed that Butler will make Wiggins try more on the defensive end.