Minnesota sends a package including Malik Beasley and Patrick Beverley to Utah.
From NBA.com News Services
July 1, 2022 8:03 PM
Rudy Gobert averaged 15.6 points and 14.7 rebounds and reportedly will join fellow All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Rudy Gobert is reportedly on the move after being traded by the Utah Jazz to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Wolves receive:
• Rudy Gobert
Jazz receive:
• Malik Beasley
• Patrick Beverley
• Leandro Bolmaro
• Walker Kessler
• Jarred Vanderbilt
• 2023 first-round pick
• 2025 first-round pick
• 2026 pick swap
• 2027 first-round pick
• 2029 first-round pick (protected)
Utah is trading Rudy Gobert to Minnesota, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2022
The Timberwolves are sending Malik Beasley, Patrick Beverley, Walker Kessler, Jarred Vanderbilt and multiple first-round picks for Gobert, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2022
Gobert, the three-time Kia Defensive Player of the Year, was a first-team All-Defensive selection for the sixth straight season. Utah and Gobert have not found postseason success, however.
Utah entered last season as one of the favorites to win the NBA title. Like a few other teams on the top of that list — the Lakers and Brooklyn, primarily — they wound up as disappointments.
The Jazz, who brought back many key players from 2020-21, when they had the NBA’s best regular-season record, lost to the Dallas Mavericks in six games for their second first-round exit in three seasons.
Potential future changes after another disappointing end may have centered on Mitchell and Gobert.
Gobert is owed $85 million over the next two years, plus he holds a $46.6 million player option for the 2025-26 season. Mitchell is owed $67.5 million for the next two seasons, followed by a $37 million player option. Their relationship had been strained at times, going back to at least the start of the pandemic, when Gobert was the first NBA player to test positive for COVID-19 and Mitchell tested positive a day later. And speculation had been rampant since about whether a dynamic scorer like Mitchell and a dominant defender like Gobert can be the sort of 1-2 punch that leads a championship team.
ESPN’s Wojnarowksi reports that Utah’s intention is now to retool its roster and build around Mitchell.
Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.