Getty Rudy Gobert, Boston Celtics trade target?
A longshot? To be sure. But in this bizarre NBA offseason, and with this Celtics bunch, there seems to be little harm in at least considering the longshot possibilities that might present themselves to Boston in the coming weeks.
This time it is an idea floated by Bleacher Report and writer Grant Hughes, as part of a package of “surprise” trade ideas. And for the Celtics, it would be a steal, assuming they’re willing to bear some serious financial burden.
The trade proposal has the Celtics receiving Jazz center Rudy Gobert in a package that is headlined by Gordon Hayward, and includes Daniel Theis and all three Celtics first-rounders in this year’s draft—Nos. 14, 26 and 30. Granted, Hayward still has star capability and the last time he suited up for the Jazz, he was averaging a career-high 21.9 points to go with 47.1% shooting and 39.8% 3-point shooting.
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But still, that is a slim price to pay for a dominant defensive center like Gobert, who is a two-time Defensive Player of the Year and would immediately elevate the Celtics into the favorite’s position in the Eastern Conference.
Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz Have Had Issues This Year
The Jazz have not been actively shopping Gobert, but there is a chance he could stealthily hit the market. Gobert, of course, was Patient Zero in the NBA’s COVID-19 ordeal, the first guy to test positive and spur the league to shut down for four months until it established the bubble environment in Orlando this summer.
While Gobert hardly deserves blame—there were plenty of others who had COVID-19 at the time—he was famously flippant about the virus, jokingly rubbing microphones just before the pandemic took hold in this country. That sparked tension in the Jazz locker room, especially between Gobert and star player Donovan Mitchell. Trade rumors involving Gobert bubbled up at the time, but have since dissipated.
Utah has another problem when it comes to Gobert—he is heading into the final year of his contract. He signed a four-year, $102 million deal in 2017, and is set to make $26.5 million next season, but can hit the market in 2021.
Gobert is eligible for a supermax deal, which Utah likely would not want to pay, especially if the pandemic continues to hit the league’s revenues.
Rudy Gobert an Ideal Fit for Boston Celtics
Gobert is not an offensive-minded center, but he is a terrific pick-and-roll big man who averaged 15.1 points and 13.1 rebounds, with 2.0 blocked shots, last season. He keeps his offensive game contained to the painted area, shooting 69.3% from the field last season. He led the league in field-goal percentage in 2018-19, at 66.9%.
To pull off a deal for Gobert, the Celtics would need Hayward to opt in to the final year of his contract, worth $34.2 million. Hayward has not yet done so and there has been chatter that he could be investigating the market for a long-term deal this offseason. If Hayward opts out and leaves, the Celtics would get nothing in return.
PSA: If Gordon Hayward walks away, we do NOT get to use his full $34M to sign other players. It doesn’t work that way. We would have some small amount of additional flexibility, but not enough to sign someone better than Hayward. If he walks, that’s a bad thing.
If Hayward opts in, the Celtics could look to trade him, though there is some bitterness in Utah over his free-agent departure in 2017 and there is a question as to whether the Jazz would welcome him back.
There is also, for the Celtics, the issue of paying Gobert. As good as he might be as a fit with Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Kemba Walker, giving Gobert a sizable deal would leave the Celtics with four players likely to combine to make more than $120 million, which would be difficult to do at any point in NBA history, but especially as the league is tallying losses from the impact of COVID-19.
Nice idea. But, definitely a longshot.
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