“If he’s so good why they ain’t keep his a***?” - Shaquille O’Neal says the Utah Jazz traded 3x All-Star because “he ain’t doing s***t”, says the whole state of Utah is hating on the latter
Shaquille O’Neal questions Rudy Gobert’s skill as he explained why he got traded for his lack of impact for the Utah Jazz.
Shaq said:
“If he’s so good, why they ain’t keep his a**?”
Regardless of Rudy Gobert being a 3x All-Star and 3x Defensive Player of the Year, the former Utah Jazz big caught flack from many regarding his reliability.
To some, his Defensive award placed him on a pedestal that he was unable to reach season by season.
Unfortunately for Gobert, that "some" includes Shaq, who has always questioned why the Frenchman was hyped up so much.
This time around, 'The Big Diesel' outlines how Utah fans are sick of Gobert not producing for their city. The big is praised for his awards, if at all, and has yet to make the waves needed to place the Jazz as prominent contenders.
O'Neal explained:
"Y'all owe me an apology ... When I jump on him for making 250 and averaging 12, I'm hating right. Well guess what, the whole state of Utah is hating him too so they get rid of his ass."
The conversation includes O’Neal elaborating that the Jazz traded him simply because he was not producing for the squad. The move was arguably a good one because the league still views Gobert as an expensive asset, as per the trade value.
The trade valued Rudy so high that it immediately impacted trade situations around the entire league. The value caught by Gobert, for instance, instantly raised the teams' expectations for the worth of someone like Kevin Durant, who just requested a trade.
Regardless, Shaq still believes that Gobert was not worth what he was traded for and the Jazz made out like bandits.
The Rudy Gobert trade package
The Timberwolves received Rudy in return for Malik Beasley, Patrick Beverley, Leandro Bolmaro, Walker Kessler, Jared Vanderbilt, four future first-round picks and a 2026 pick swap.
That is a heavy list merely for Rudy, who has yet to prove effective enough to make it deep into the playoffs even with a player like Donovan Mitchell.
'The Big Diesel' might be onto something with his opinion as a true effective force would impact games on the back end enough for someone like Mitchell to control the offense.
We have seen Donovan Mitchell prove his worth multiple times over as an asset for the Jazz, but in Shaq’s eyes Rudy has yet to prove his space on the back end.
Ever since Rudy won his first Defensive Player of the Year award has O’Neal been notably vocal against Gobert. These comments came as no surprise, and were bound to come following his trade.
O'Neal's question still remains, if Rudy is that good, why wouldn’t the Jazz keep him?