Last season, the Minnesota Timberwolves made a huge leap, and were able to make the postseason with the seventh seed. The Wolves then tried to take the next leap, with the help of a trade for Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert. Minnesota made a huge decision, and traded a ton of assets to land Gobert. So far, the results are far from impressive.
What Was the Rudy Gobert Trade?
In return for Gobert, the Jazz got quite the haul. Utah received Malik Beasley, Patrick Beverley, Leandro Bolmaro, and Jarred Vanderbilt. In addition to this, the Jazz got Minnesota’s 2022, 2023, 2025, 2027 and 2029 first round draft picks, as well as rights to swap picks in 2026.
The only player the Timberwolves got in return was Rudy Gobert.
How Bad Has the Rudy Gobert Trade Been?
At the time of this trade, this move was looked at as a rebuilding team getting a haul of assets, and a team on the rise getting their star. Unfortunately for the Wolves, they currently find themselves looking up at Utah in the standings.
Gobert hasn’t necessarily been bad, but he has certainly not been good enough to make up for the haul Minnesota had to send away to get him. Gobert is currently averaging 13.5 points per game, 12.7 rebounds and and 1.4 blocks on 66% true shooting percentage.
The problem with Gobert is that he’s essentially made no difference. On defense, the team is about the same with or without him on the court. He hasn’t made a difference, which isn’t encouraging considering the fact that that’s supposed to be his hallmark.
What Does the Future Look Like?
The Wolves mortgaged their entire future to trade for Rudy Gobert. They don’t have another choice other than to make this work. Time is on their side, especially after signing Gobert to a five-year, $205 million contract.
The Wolves will have plenty of time to figure it out. We are also only about a quarter of the way into the first season of this experiment. Plenty can change as Gobert’s contract runs its course. At the present moment though, this trade has not worked out for Minnesota.