Getty Rudy Gobert and Anthony Davis look on during a 2019 game between the Utah Jazz and the LA Lakers.
Basketball is a team game. But when a team with expectations as high as the Brooklyn Nets had this season suffers as big of a collapse as they did in their first-round loss to the Boston Celtics, everyone’s performance gets looked at more closely from top to bottom.
Where the Nets really struggled in their first-round elimination was on the defensive end, as they failed to get stops and were thoroughly out-rebounded by Boston’s defense. Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report says that Brooklyn should target a trade for former Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert in this ‘no-brainer’ trade proposal.
Full Trade Proposal Details:
Brooklyn Nets receive:
Rudy Gobert
Utah Jazz Receive:
Nic Claxton (Sign and Trade)
2022 First Round Pick via Philadelphia 76ers (Which Brooklyn has since deferred to 2023)
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Gobert Gives Nets Much Needed Boost on Defense
Parting ways with Simmons and Nic Claxton will take away from a lot of the flash and flare of the Nets roster, but it fills a much-needed void in terms of offensive end defensive rebounding. Swartz notes that having the former Defensive Player of the Year as their anchor could pay major dividends for the Nets come playoff time. But with Gobert entering just the second year of a $205 Million deal, acquiring him won’t come cheap.
“Having Gobert, a three-time Defensive Player of the Year, as an anchor at center next to Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving would be a huge improvement for a Nets team that will continually face players like Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bam Adebayo, and Pascal Siakam in playoff runs,” Swartz writes.
“Gobert was also the NBA’s best rebounder last season (14.7 per game) to go along with his 15.6 points on a league-best 71.3 percent shooting. He’d be a terrific lob threat for Irving, and this Nets team has enough shooting (Irving, Durant, Seth Curry, Joe Harris, Patty Mills) that Gobert’s lack of floor spacing on offense shouldn’t be an issue.”
Jazz Coach’s Resignation Has Had Ripple Effect on Team
While it is not common for teams to trade away players of Gobert’s caliber, it appears that the writing could already be on the wall for a Utah Jazz rebuild. Quinn Snyder will not return as head coach of the Jazz after serving in the role since 2014. Snyder’s decision to step down as coach has had a ripple effect on Jazz superstar Donovan Mitchell’s outlook on his future in Utah.
“Amid the reverberations of Quin Snyder’s departure after eight seasons as the Utah Jazz coach, All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell is described as “unsettled, unnerved and wondering what it means for the franchise’s future,” NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski writes per ESPN.
“Mitchell considered Snyder a significant part of his reasoning for committing to a five-year maximum contract extension in 2020, and Snyder’s decision to step away on Sunday has left Mitchell “surprised and disappointed”. Mitchell remains fond of Snyder and accepts his reasons for stepping down, but Mitchell is spending the immediate aftermath of Snyder’s decision trying to process what the coach’s loss means in the larger scope for the organization and himself.”
With the NBA free agency period just weeks away, the Nets will have their hands full in trying to build a roster that can compete for a championship. It will be interesting to see what the results will be.
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