ESPN data expert Kevin Pelton analyzes Rudy Gobert trade.
Timberwolves get Gobert
Jazz get Malik Beasley , Patrick Beverley , Walker Kessler, Jared Vanderbilt , Leandro Poe Malo and four first-round picks.
Timberwolves: D
In theory, Towns playing power forward is a very fascinating idea, but in the playoffs is another story.
The Timberwolves' regular season defense in the 2021-22 season ranks 13th in the league. It seems that it has reached the upper limit of Towns' system as a center and is not enough to allow them to go further in the playoffs. Although the Jazz's defense last season was only 3 spots higher than the Timberwolves'. The Jazz rely heavily on Gobert to clean up the perimeter defense, and the Timberwolves' perimeter defensive talent should be better.
Offensively, Towns has enough offensive skills to play the fourth position, and even calls himself the best shooting big man in history. When Gobert sets the screen for Anthony Edwards and D'Angelo Russell, Towns can make his defender afraid to help defend.
Gobert's presence may affect Towns playing in the low post, just like Vanderbilt last season, whose average shooting distance was only 3.1 feet, which was only slightly better than Gobert's 2.7 feet.
The Timberwolves should become stronger in the regular season. With the Nuggets , Clippers , Trail Blazers welcoming back healthy lineups, the Timberwolves still have a good chance to get to the top six in the Western Conference and avoid participating in the play-offs.
Although Gobert's defensive switching ability is not bad, if the opponent uses a small man to pull him out of the paint area, it will definitely weaken his defensive influence. Towns could play power forward in the regular season and then take over some center duties in the playoffs, but with Gobert, there is only so much center time for Towns.
The Timberwolves may hope that Towns' low post can prevent opponents from removing traditional centers. Many teams like to remove centers to deal with Gobert. But at some point in the playoffs, the Timberwolves will still encounter opponents who can restrain the Towns-Gobert combination.
The Timberwolves picked four first-round picks in one go. 2023, 2025 and 2027 are unprotected, and the top five picks in 2029 are protected. Such big bets rarely succeed in the past. The Clippers got Paul George , the Lakers got Anthony Davis, has been considered a success, and they still owe a lot of draft picks. The Nets and the Rockets lost miserably for their big bets on James Harden and Russell Westbrook .
Of course, the Timberwolves don't have as many valuable players as the two teams paid. The four players who went to the Jazz will definitely not stay with the team after next season. The Timberwolves also retained their second best youngster, Jayden McDaniels , who may now start at small forward and is the best wing defender on the team.
The Timberwolves also have to deal with Russell , who will enter a contract year. Considering that the Timberwolves will not be able to create salary space next year, they can only renew Russell or trade for immediate combat power.
The Timberwolves' salary will explode soon: Edwards will get a new contract in the 2024-25 season, and Towns' four-year, 224 million contract will take effect in the same year. By then, Towns and Gobert's annual salary will be as high as $93 million. Edwards may also get 36 million.
The Timberwolves' better choice is to trade Dejounte Murray . Murray 's age is the same as the Timberwolves' core, and it does not cost such a big price. But the Timberwolves chose a bigger gamble.
Jazz: The A
Jazz were eliminated by the Mavericks when Luka Doncic missed part of the series, especially now that many teams will put out five small lineups to pull Gobert out of the penalty area. So now is a good time to trade Gobert.
Gobert has just turned 30 years old and has a 200 million contract. How long can his transaction value be maintained? The Jazz were sure to be very open-minded, and eventually they found their next home.
The Jazz selected draft picks instead of exchanging multiple valuable players to build a championship team around Mitchell . The Jazz now have a large number of first-round picks, and the lineup is also in temporary transition, which means there are more transactions.
The Jazz only have Uduka Azubuike and No. 22 pick Kesler at the center position. They can pursue DeAndre Ayton, although they may need to recruit a third-party team to give the Suns a backup center.
The Jazz have a surplus of talent on the back line: Mitchell, Conley, Clarkson, Beverley and Beasley. It is expected that the Jazz will send away some players. Among them, Beverley has certain transaction value. ,
Perhaps the Jazz will trade Mitchell to completely rebuild, but no matter how it works, trading Gobert will allow the Jazz to make more than enough progress.
