The Golden State Warriors will be looking for ways to improve via the trade market, and Rudy Gobert could emerge as an option. A new report claims that the Minnesota Timberwolves will look to trade Gobert due to his contract ending soon. Paying big money to an aging NBA player can hurt the franchise, especially since Minnesota already has a few major contracts on the books.
Chris Vernon revealed why the Timberwolves will likely want to trade Gobert:
“Gobert is getting traded this year. That’s a hundred percent. It’s a contract year. You think they’re gonna bring him back long-term? They ain’t trying to spend. You think A-Rod’s spending the money on him? No way. You get the value now, and there will be teams, especially, look, there’s gonna be an arms race.
There’s gonna be an arms race, and people are gonna look like, ‘All right, we’d like to have Gobert to go up against Wembanyama.’ And I just don’t think he fits. You’re gonna have to decide, are we doing the Ant-LaMelo thing? Is that what we’re doing? ‘Cause Gobert does not fit with them.”
The 100% lock by Vernon does make it extremely likely that Gobert gets traded. Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball are the most important players in Minnesota. Even wing player Jaden McDaniels is more important for his defense and age.
Why Warriors Would Want Rudy Gobert
Golden State currently needs talent to have any chance at success in this or next season. The mysterious illness preventing Kristaps Porzingis from playing means the team lacks a viable starting center.
Gobert hitting the trade block could see the Warriors looking to add him to fit their timeline. Veterans like Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler would see Gobert in their same age range to boost their chances of making noise in the foreseeable future.
Last season showed that Gobert can still anchor a strong defense and remain a top five defender in the league. Golden State is already planning for next season with cap space, but a trade could land them a star earlier. Most big names get traded earlier now since teams want to avoid free agency, and the Warriors could improve faster.
How Draymond Green Fighting Gobert Impacts This
The biggest question about a potential Gobert trade is where Draymond Green fits into this equation. Green has placed Gobert in a headlock in the past to show the two clearly didn’t get along. Gobert was also criticized by Draymond for winning Defensive Player of the Year four times.
Green has made peace with many former enemies, including the high-profile drama involving LeBron James. Gobert and any other former rival would be welcomed by Draymond if they could help the Warriors win more games.
However, the playing style of Green could make it redundant to add Gobert as two players you can’t trust from three-point range. Draymond could be the one traded since Minnesota will value his experience if they want to get a cheaper option than Gobert. Regardless, Gobert’s season is worth paying attention to if this becomes true, and Golden State has a chance.
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