Can Timberwolves make a championship run after selling the farm for Rudy Gobert?
The Minnesota Timberwolves shocked the NBA world after trading for Utah Jazz's superstar big man Rudy Gobert.
Minnesota sent five players and four first-round picks to Utah as part of the deal. Per Adrian Wojnarowski and Tim MacMahon of ESPN, Malik Beasley, Patrick Beverley, Jarred Vanderbilt, Leandro Bolmaro and No. 22 pick Walker Kessler joined the Jazz in the deal.
Utah also received unprotected picks in 2023, 2025 and 2027 and a top-five-protected pick in 2029.
Minnesota is sending its 2023, 2025 and 2027 picks unprotected and a top-5 protected 2029 pick to Utah, sources tell ESPN. twitter.com/wojespn/status…
The deal between the two franchises sent shockwaves through the entire league and immediately made the Timberwolves legit title contenders.
At the moment, their roster consists of four superstars in D'Angelo Russell, Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns and the newly-arrived Gobert.
The Big Four make Minnesota one of the top teams in the Western Conference, and the franchise will havetheir sights set on a deep playoff run next season.
Newly-hired president Tim Connelly wanted to add a rim protector to the roster and pair him with Towns, who is excellent offensively.
The Timberwolves did give up significant draft assets, but were elated to hold onto their talented young 21-year old forward, Jaden McDaniels.
According to ESPN Stats, via Tim Macmahon of ESPN, the Timberwolves allowed opponents to shoot 66.9% at the basket last season, which ranked them at the bottom of the league (25th).
Gobert, a three-time All-Star and three-time Defensive Player of the Year, looks like the perfect option for the Timberwolves in their quest to improve their defense.
The Frenchman is coming off a stellar season with the Jazz, averaging 15.6 points, a league-high 14.7 rebounds and 2.1 blocks.
The 30-year-old big man is a great rim protector, but has a limited offensive repertoire, scoring only inside the paint.
It will be easy for Minnesota head coach Chris Finch to pair Gobert with Towns, though, as the latter enjoys playing as a mobile forward/center and making shots from mid-range and beyond the arc.
Towns is coming off an impressive season as well, in which he averaged almost a double-double with 24.6 points and 9.8 rebounds. He also shot at 52.9% from the field and 41% from the three-point range.
Anthony Edwards, the No.1 pick of the 2020 NBA Draft, had a breakout year, averaging 21.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists.
Thanks to his all-round performance and two-way play, Edwards was among the top players in the league and key to the team's return to the postseason.
For his part, D'Angelo Russell had 18.1 points and a team-high 7.1 assists. The franchise was inclined to trade him this offseason, but Gobert's arrival will probablly lead to those plans being called off.
Timberwolves have their best chance to fight for the NBA championship for the first time since the Kevin Garnett era
Last season, Minnesota played consistently from start to finish and were 46-36 heading into the playoffs. In the postseason, they defied the odds and did their best to eliminate the second-seeded Memphis Grizzlies.
Minnesota then defeated Memphis twice and almost forced a Game 7. Eventually, though, the Grizzlies stood tall and closed out the series in six games (4-2).
Next season, making the postseason is going to be the minimum target for the Timberwolves, who will be dreaming of a run to the Finals after going all out for Gobert.
Landing Gobert and creating a star team will put the Timberwolves in good stead to fight for the NBA championship for the first time since the Kevin Garnett era.