Anthony Edwards' Injury Could Cost Him $304 Million Contract

May 15, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) looks on against the San Antonio Spurs in the first half during game six of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images© Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images&period;

Anthony Edwards' Injury Could Cost Him $304 Million Contract

Originally posted on The Spun | By Tzvi Machlin | Last updated Oct 28, 2026 1:23 PM ET

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Minnesota Timberwolves superstar Anthony Edwards is slated to undergo surgery soon to fix a bothersome knee injury. Unfortunately, the injury will sideline him for several months – and apparently put his upcoming $304 million NBA contract in jeopardy.

Per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, Edwards will have surgery on Thursday and is expected to miss more than two months of NBA action.

“Anthony Edwards will have surgery on Thursday, after which there will be a better idea on the timeline for recovery, I’m told. As of now, the belief is it’s going to be more than two months,” Krawczynski wrote.

But according to Legion Hoops, the NBA’s 65-game rule prevents players who fail to reach that mark from earning All-NBA honors. Should he fail to earn All-NBA honors, he won’t be eligible for a four-year $304 million supermax deal.

Due to the NBA’s 65-game rule, Anthony Edwards is expected to miss out on a 4-year, $304M supermax deal for making All-NBA due to his injury.

Damn. pic.twitter.com/Odg2qAs0o1
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) October 28, 2026

An unfortunate turn of events

The NBA implemented the 65-game rule to keep star players from intentionally skipping too many games. Unfortunately, the rule is now going to work against a player who has the most legitimate reason of all to miss games.

Between 2020 and 2025, Edwards never missed more than 10 games in a season. Last year he missed 21.

Fans were fuming that the new NBA rule puts Edwards at risk of not qualifying for the supermax deal:

“A rule built to stop stars resting is about to cost $304M to the one guy who basically never sits,” one fan wrote on X.

“If Ant can’t get the Supermax, no one should get the supermax,” another declared.

“Just another disastrous decision by Adam Silver. The rule doesn’t work and it actually hurts players like Anthony Edwards, who play all the time when available,” wrote a third.

Apr 20, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) next to referee Tony Brothers (25) in the second half against the Denver Nuggets during game two of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images© Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

It’s hard to get too broken up over it though. Edwards will still qualify for a deal worth well over $200 million and probably north of $250 million.

That said, if Edwards feels like leaving the Timberwolves (and there’s no indication right now that he wants to), other NBA teams will be more than capable of meeting that lower price tag for his services.

Simply put, the new rule and the injury could turn the NBA upside down next year if some things fall in a certain way.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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