Tim Connelly: We want Rudy Gobert in Minnesota ‘for a long time’

Tim Connelly: We want Rudy Gobert in Minnesota ‘for a long time’

Two summers ago, Minnesota Timberwolves general manager Tim Connelly pulled off one of the most astounding trades in NBA History by trading four first-round picks, one pick swap and five players to the Utah Jazz in exchange for Rudy Gobert.

Now two seasons later, Gobert’s provided a mixed bag of results. Connelly recently spoke to Darren Wolfson of KSTP 5 in Minneapolis regarding Gobert’s future. Connelly was bullish on his long-term prospects with the organization.

“We’d like Rudy to be here for a long time,” Connelly recently told Wolfson. “We love his agent, he’s been a friend for a long time and is one of the best guys in the league. And certainly our goal with most of these guys is to keep them here as long as they want to be here.

“Ideally, I think continuity is going to be one of the better strengths we have going into the season and we really like our core group.”

Gobert, 32, is extension eligible, with a $43.8 million cap hit this season and a $46.7 million player option heading into 2025-26, per Spotrac. Connelly may be bullish on keeping Gobert long-term, but his true outcome may be determined by who has ownership. Perhaps there will be mass changes if a new ownership group pries the Wolves away from Glen Taylor’s hands. He’s tried to sell the team three different times and could likely try to again in the near future.

Anyway, it’s no secret that Gobert is not only one of the more polarizing athletes in basketball, but in major American sports.

On one hand, Gobert is one of the best rim protectors in the league. He was the biggest–figuratively and literally–component to why the Wolves finished atop the NBA in defense by over two points per 100 possessions, a bigger gap from No. 2 to 9.

On the other, when it comes down to brass tax, Gobert routinely gets played off the floor by some of the league’s top offenses. His stiff, immobile 7-foot frame becomes more of a liability against athletic, well-rounded bigs. He’s got poor hands and is not a versatile defender, but has been crowned the Defensive Player of the Year four times already.

See … polarizing!

Who knows whether or not he will finish out his contract in Minnesota? Its championship window is now with Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns. It may not get another crack at the apple, and Gobert is a huge part of its foundation. Though his detriments may be the biggest reason why Minnesota can’t get over the top, if that ends up being the end outcome.

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