Rudy Gobert

The Minnesota Timberwolves made a seismic move on Friday, acquiring Rudy Gobert from the Utah Jazz in exchange for five players and four future first-round ...

"Meanwhile, the Brooklyn Nets and Houston Rockets giving up a series of draft picks to acquire James Harden and Russell Westbrook, respectively, backfired when neither player lasted long in his new home. "It started out innocently enough with Gobert, but the inclusion of the four firsts was scream-inducing," Nadkarni wrote. Walker, of course, was traded to the Minnesota Vikings in 1988 for what turned into two first-round picks, two second-round picks, a third-round pick, and a fourth-round pick. "It's remarkable another team was willing to make a trade like this given how poorly the past few seem to be working out," Pelton wrote. Utah also has the option to swap picks in the 2026 draft, making some fear that Connelly just traded for the hardwood version of Herschel Walker. The Minnesota Timberwolves made a seismic move on Friday, acquiring Rudy Gobert from the Utah Jazz in exchange for five players and four future first-round draft picks.

Minnesota is banking on Rudy Gobert being the key to it taking the next step towards contention. The Timberwolves are all-in with Rudy Gobert trade.

The Jazz had to make a trade to break up the Gobert-Donovan Mitchell pairing, and they got great value back. It helps that he's being paired with someone who might go down as the greatest shooting big man in NBA history when it's all said and done, but Towns does generate a decent amount of scoring in the post. Expecting Gobert and Towns to keep up with teams when they downsize is a lot. It's not like Gobert is a zero on offense, but the paint won't be as open going from Towns playing the five to Gobert. Ask the Nets how that same bet is going for them. Not only have teams had success putting Gobert in space in the postseason, but Towns isn't someone who has ever been known for his defense. Pick-and-rolls between the two of them with Towns spotting up should pack quite a punch. In the playoffs, they could run into some issues. Towns is coming off of a season in which he attempted 4.9 3-pointers per game and connected on them at a 41.0 percent clip. Gobert should also benefit from playing alongside D'Angelo Russell, who is among the better passers at the guard position. The Timberwolves had a slightly above-average defense this season, an impressive achievement given their personnel. He's a massive presence at 7-foot-1 with a 7-foot-9 wingspan, he has excellent timing when contesting shots at the rim and he doesn't get into foul trouble often.

Although Rudy Gobert did not actually get traded to the Chicago Bulls in the end, this move will still have league-wide ramifications.

He’s not alone in this endeavor though, because Nikola Vucevic is also due a bounce-back season. Judging by your responses on Twitter, however, it seems the fanbase shared Arturas Karnisovas’ opinions on whether or not Williams should be on the table. Barring the unlikely event the Bulls manage to pull a trade for superstar Kevin Durant, this all but ensures that Chicago will be essentially running the same core out on the court next season.

Britt Robson joins the Dane Moore NBA Podcast to break it down.

The Minnesota Timberwolves reportedly made "several calls" to the Brooklyn Nets regarding Kevin Durant before trading for Rudy Gobert.

It is worth noting that Towns recently agreed to a new supermax contract with the Wolves, which could have complicated a potential deal. "The Wolves also made several calls to Brooklyn on Kevin Durant, sources said, but the Nets were asking for established All-Stars and a mountain of picks," Krawczynski wrote. The Wolves making a run at Durant isn't all that surprising.

The Utah Jazz, following a disjointed and disappointing 2021-22 campaign, ripped off the proverbial band-aid in regards to their star duo. Donovan Mitchell is ...

Gobert is a defense unto himself, and his screening prowess should pry some things open on the other end. On the other end, Gobert is a prolific screener and lob threat. While I'd respect Chris Finch for closing games with Kyle Anderson and Gobert up front for maximum aptitude, Towns is going to be on the floor. Looking at what the Wolves have on the perimeter... Even zooming out from the particulars, having Gobert and Towns means having an elite big on the floor at all times with some staggering. There's a lot of variance to what Edwards provides on defense right now; he'll have to grow up fast, but it's encouraging that he seems to want to. Per Cleaning The Glass, enemy offenses have seen their rim frequency drop by at least five percentage points with Gobert on the floor in five of the last six seasons. Swapping him out for Gobert is quite the enhancement. He's able to swat shots without getting himself into foul trouble; including the playoffs, Gobert has fouled out just four times in the last three seasons. It was part two of the Pick Acquisition Plan for the Jazz, following Royce O'Neale being sent to the Brooklyn Nets for a 2023 first-rounder. They made waves earlier in the offseason cycle, hiring Tim Connelly away from the Denver Nuggets for a hefty bag and equity. The Utah Jazz, following a disjointed and disappointing 2021-22 campaign, ripped off the proverbial band-aid in regards to their star duo.

HoopsHype's Michael Scotto reports on Kevin Durant, Rudy Gobert, OG Anunoby, Gary Trent Jr, Donte DiVincenzo, and Royce O'Neale.

Toronto will have to decide soon if Trent will remain part of the core or if he’ll become too expensive to retain long-term and be better served as a trade asset. Internally, the Nets prioritized getting a wing defender who could guard multiple positions. At least a third team would need to be involved for Brooklyn to get all the desired assets it wants for Durant with either of these teams. Instead, months later, the Nets surrendered a 2023 first-round pick for O’Neale. He’s effectively in a contract year since he has an $18.79 million player option for the 2023-24 season. The Nets would have to trade Simmons before any potential acquisition of Adebayo.