Jazz trades triple DPOY Rudy Gobert to Timberwolves in blockbuster deal: reports

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Rudy Gobert was traded by the Utah Jazz to the Minnesota Timberwolves for a massive set of players and draft picks, a person with knowledge of the blockbuster deal has said.

Utah gets four first-round picks between 2023 and 2029, with Patrick Beverley, Malik Beasley and a first-round pick this year in Walker Kessler, according to the person who spoke to The Associated Press Friday on condition of anonymity because that the NBA had not approved the deal and neither team could announce it publicly.

ESPN, which first reported the trade, also said Jarred Vanderbilt and Leandro Bolmaro were going from Minnesota to Utah as part of the deal for Gobert.

It ushers in the end of an era for the Jazz, and perhaps the start of one for the Timberwolves – who may have the league’s best 1-2 big-man punch with Karl-Anthony Towns and Gobert together now.

Gobert — three-time Defensive Player of the Year — spent his first nine NBA seasons at Utah, and the Jazz have made the playoffs in each of the past six seasons. But his relationship with guard Donovan Mitchell has always come under scrutiny, and a string of disappointing playoff outings has led to the annual question whether the two could co-exist on a title-challenging team.

Minnesota completed the deal less than 24 hours after agreeing a four-year, US$224 million extension with Towns, who is now under contract for the next six years.

Gobert has four years and $170 million left on a five-year, $205 million deal he signed with the Jazz last summer.


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