As insane as this sounds, the Minnesota Timberwolves traded more for Rudy Gobert than the Phoenix Suns did for Kevin Durant. What!?
Last July, the Jazz sent three-time All-Star Gobert to Minnesota for a package that included Malik Beasley, Patrick Beverley, Leandro Bolmaro, Jarred Vanderbilt and five first-round draft picks.
Early Thursday morning, news broke on the Nets sending Durant and T.J. Warren to the Suns for Cam Johnson, Mikal Bridges, Jae Crowder, four first-round picks and a 2028 pick swap.
Durant is way better than Gobert, who doesn’t have an offensive move outside of five feet. The Timberwolves got fleeced, especially in light of how this season is shaking out.
Jazz rookie Walker Kessler, whom Utah drafted with one of the picks acquired in the Minnesota deal, looks like he’s turning into the young Gobert.
Kessler, 21, is averaging eight points, 7.4 boards and 2.1 blocks and shooting 71 percent from the field.
Meanwhile, Gobert, 30, is having his worst season since 2017-18, averaging 13.2 points,1.3 blocks and 11.4 rebounds. That Gobert is a weird fit alongside Karl-Anthony Towns makes the trade look even worse.
Had Minnesota not made the deal, it could have drafted Kessler and started him at center. Minnesota’s front office must be aghast.
In a three-team trade Wednesday, the Jazz flipped Vanderbilt and Beasley to the Lakers for Russell Westbrook and a lightly protected first-round pick. That means Jazz GM Danny Ainge turned Gobert alone into six first-rounders with little to no protection attached.
We can’t offer a final assessment of the Jazz-T-Wolves deal until Utah makes all its first-round picks, but it looks like one of the more lopsided trades in NBA history now.
