In July, the Utah Jazz traded Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Malik Beasley, Patrick Beverley, Leandro Ballmaro, Walker Kessler, Jared Vanderbilt and five first-round draft picks. They gambled their future on a defensive stalwart.
Last season with the Jazz, the three-time all-star averaged 14.7 rebounds per game and 71.3% shooting from the field in 66 starts. Timberwolves GM Tim Connelly traded for Gobert to improve rim protection and defensive rebounding.
The Timberwolves have the 18th-best odds to win the championship in 2023 at a handful of NBA betting sites. See which sportsbooks are giving Rudy Gobert the ninth-best odds to win Rookie of the Year this season.
Where did you go Rudy Gobert?
The Timberwolves need a better version of Gobert than what they saw in Miami. https://t.co/U2Xai3kcD8
— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) December 27, 2022
Likewise, Gobert signed a five-year, $205 million contract with the Jazz in December 2020. He is making $38,172,414 this season, $41 million in 2023-24, $43,827,586 in 2024-25, and has a player option of $46,272.65. In the last year of the agreement.
This season’s salaries take up 21.36 percent of Minnesota’s total salary cap. Also, Karl-Anthony Towns is currently earning $33,833,400. The City’s payroll represents 18.93% of its capital. Towns is guaranteed $294,073,600, while Gobert’s guarantee is $169,655,174.
Both players are gradually liabilities, not assets. On Monday, in the Timberwolves’ 113-110 loss to the Miami Heat, Gobert sat out after recording a team-worst -14 in the fourth quarter. Minnesota coach Chris Finch chose Naz Reid to close the game. Reid was +15 in 29 minutes compared to Gobert’s -14 in 31 minutes.
Are the Timberwolves suffering from buyer’s remorse after trading five players, first-round picks for Rudy Gobert?
While Towns isn’t struggling as much as Gobert, the three-time All-Star is averaging 20.8 points per game, his lowest since his rookie 2015-16 season. Not to mention, the center is scoring a career-low 8.2 rebounds per contest. Cities’ right calf strain is a reasonable excuse for missing games and underperforming.
However, this group has low morale stemming from leadership. This is the main thing. In 29 starts this season, Gobert is averaging 13.9 points, 12.1 boards and 1.2 blocks per game.
To add to these stats, he shot 66.4% from the floor and 67.9% from the foul line. While these stats aren’t horrendous to the untrained eye, Jazz fans will still be disappointed in the 10-year veteran if he plays like this in Utah.
Rudy Gobert played very well from the floor tonight with the 6’10” rookie center.
Gobert: 10 points, 8 boards
Robinson: 15 points, 9 boardsRudy should have flat-out dominated a Miami Heat team that lost its top-three centers. Again, unbelievable.
— Charlie Walton (@CharlieWaltonMN) December 27, 2022
Right now, many Timberwolves fans feel robbed, frustrated and robbed. Gobert is second in total points with 351, second in games played, seventh in offensive rebounds (105), eighth in defensive boards (246), ninth in offensive rating (129.8) and seventh in defensive rebound percentage (28.9%). .
His offensive rating ranked second overall last season (137.4). After leading the NBA in defensive rebound percentage (36.3%) with the Jazz in his final year, Gobert is now out of the league’s top five with Minnesota.
Plus, with Connelly and Finch giving up the three-time Defensive Player of the Year, a casual fan would assume this trade was for LeBron James, Kevin Durant and/or Luka Doncic.
Minnesota now has 2023, 2025, 2026, 2027 and 2029 first-round picks. If the Timberwolves have a lackluster second half of the season, this contract is one of the worst in history.
