The Minnesota Timberwolves pulled off the biggest blockbuster trade of the NBA offseason with the Utah Jazz. They acquired three-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert in exchange for Malik Beasley, Patrick Beverley, Jarred Vanderbilt, Leandro Bolmaro, Walker Kessler, four first-round picks and a pick swap.
That is a huge trade package, as three of the draft picks are unprotected; the one in 2029 is only top-five protected. That has set a new precedent for trade negotiations, as the Jazz are looking for at least as much for Donovan Mitchell and the Brooklyn Nets are looking for a historic package of their own for Kevin Durant.
For Minnesota, they got their guy in Gobert. Seeking out a defensive upgrade to deploy alongside Karl-Anthony Towns in the frontcourt, the Timberwolves acquired arguably the best in business. There aren’t many players that can impact the game defensively in the way that Gobert does and he will instantly improve them on that end of the floor.
With his presence in the lineup, expectations are going to skyrocket for the Timberwolves. Towns is aware of that and believes that it is now championship or bust for the franchise.
“It’s go time. The (Rudy Gobert) trade happens. There’s no more time. There are no more excuses. We’ve got to get it done now. It’s championship now or bust. Got to go out there and get the job done.”
There are certainly concerns when it comes to a jumbo pairing such as that one, especially when teams go small. However, Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert possess skill sets that should complement each other well.
Towns’ ability to dominate offensively from the perimeter as effectively as on the interior should make things easy enough to game plan on that end of the court. Part of the reason he was so good was that he played the center spot, but his skill set will translate even at power forward.
Defensively, he will likely be tested a little more on the perimeter, but having Gobert as the last line of defense to clean everything up is certainly an upgrade. The team’s floor has definitely been raised with the addition of Gobert.
The Boston Celtics found success with jumbo lineups this season, making it to the NBA Finals. The Timberwolves are hoping they can have a similar amount of success with their frontcourt pairing carrying the load along with Anthony Edwards.
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