The Minnesota Timberwolves are widely expected to make some changes to their roster this offseason. The Timberwolves came up short in making their third straight Western Conference Finals after running into the San Antonio Spurs in the second round.
According Jonathan Harrison of Sports Illustrated, Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle are prime trade candidates if the Timberwolves want cap flexibility or if they want to make a blockbuster trade.
Both players have huge salaries for next season and have player options for the 2027-28 season.
Trade Pitch Sends Rudy Gobert To Charlotte
One of the teams that needs an upgrade from the center position is the Charlotte Hornets.
The Hornets are coming off a winning season, though they failed to make the playoffs after losing to the Orlando Magic in the NBA Play-In Tournament.
Moussa Diabate did a wonderful job as the starter in the second half of the season, but he’s likely more suited as a backup.
Sports Illustrated’s Zach Roberts pitched a trade for the Hornets that would acquire Rudy Gobert from the Minnesota Timberwolves.
“The Hornets can send Miles Bridges and Ryan Kalkbrenner to match salaries and keep the center rotation from becoming too ridiculously logjammed. Adding 2029 and 2033 first-round picks will get it done,” Roberts wrote.
The Hornets are primed to make the playoffs next season and build upon what they did this season. They have a good core of LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel, with Gobert adding experience and interior defense.
“This gives the Hornets a legitimate defensive anchor,” Roberts wrote. “Gobert shut down Nikola Jokic, for crying out loud. It would, unfortunately, leave the Hornets in a tough spot at the four, especially with neither Gobert nor Moussa Diabate doing anything to help spacing.”
Roberts added that having Gobert and Diabate is a good problem to have. They can manage to fill in the power forward slot with Grant Williams or even Tidjane Salaun.
Timberwolves Warned About Making Rudy Gobert Trade
Despite what some of his peers think about him, Rudy Gobert showed up in the playoffs for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Gobert managed to slow down Nikola Jokic and made him look like human in the first round.
In the second round, Gobert did his best to stop Victor Wembanyama, but the San Antonio Spurs were just too much at the end.
On a recent episode of the Game Theory podcast, Timberwolves analysts Bryce Simon and Sam Vecenie talked about what the franchise needs to do in the offseason.
Simon believes that the Timberwolves should only trade Gobert for a major offer.
“If I’m Minnesota, I’m getting a premium if I’m trading Rudy Gobert,” Simon said, via Dunking With Wolves. “Because trading Rudy Gobert, especially in a trade where it’s expiring, young pieces, and draft capital, I probably am resetting my timeline.”
The Timberwolves were linked to Giannis Antetokounmpo and Ja Morant at the trade deadline, but they didn’t pull the trigger and stayed put. Maybe they could explore it again this summer or even go after someone like Jaylen Brown.
Rudy Gobert Trade Pitch Sends Timberwolves Center To Charlotte Hornets