Terrence Shannon expected to sign contract worth four years, $13.1 million

The Minnesota Timberwolves have been making moves throughout the first round of the 2024 NBA Draft. However, they did not have to move from pick No. 27 to select former Illinois Fighting Illini shooting guard Terrence Shannon. And with Shannon headed to Minnesota with the No. 27 overall selection, we have an idea of what his rookie contract will look like.

According to Spotrac, the 23-year-old guard is projected to sign a four-year deal with the Timberwolves worth just over $13.1 million. Minnesota will have a team option on Shannon’s contract in the third and fourth seasons. In the first year of the deal, the former Illinois standout will have a cap hit and a projected salary of roughly $3.2 million.

Shannon spent the past two seasons with the Fighting Illini after playing his first three at Texas Tech. He averaged a career-high 23.0 points — ranking third in the country — on 47.5% shooting and 36.2% from 3-point range. The 6-foot-6 guard topped the 30-point mark seven times, including scoring 34 in the Big Ten Tournament Championship against Wisconsin.

Illinois reached the Elite Eight largely on the back of Shannon before falling to eventual champion UConn. He averaged 23.3 points and 3.3 assists across his four tournament games.

What NBA Draft analysts are saying about Terrence Shannon

On3‘s James Fletcher provided some analysis on Shannon’s game in his recent article ranking the top 40 NBA Draft prospects. It’s not just the scoring ability that he likes but also his potential as a distributor.

Shannon averaged 2.5 assists per game during his two seasons at Illinois.

“Terrence Shannon proved to be one of the best offensive players in college basketball, improving his efficiency numbers across the board from his career totals,” Fletcher wrote. “The ability to create for others also elevated the Illinois offense. For the 6-foot-6 guard, questions about his game will be background to the off-court issue. He was suspended in late December 2023 by Illinois after a warrant was issued for his arrest for an alleged rape that took place in Kansas, later getting a restraining order against the school.

“Shannon’s draft stock is entirely tied to his legal proceedings at this point, making this a difficult projection to make.”

Shannon was found to be not guilty in the case on June 13, so any questions regarding his character have hopefully been cleared up.

On3’s Chandler Vessels contributed to this article