Report: Gobert Willing To Take Less Than Supermax

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Rudy Gobert is willing to take less than the supermax according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon.

The ESPN analyst appeared on The Hoop Collective podcast with Brian Windhorst and shared what he’d heard about negotiations between the Utah Jazz and their All-NBA center.

“I don’t have precise contract figures,” MacMahon said. “I have been told that he did not ask for the full supermax.”

New podcast. @espn_macmahon on his Harden story + @ramonashelburne on the rising and falling teams in the Western Conference: https://t.co/ZB6Nt1VGJB

— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) December 17, 2020

Gobert is eligible to sign a five-year supermax contract worth upwards of $250 million. The Jazz could have offered the All-Start the supermax when free agency opened on November 18, though no deal has been agreed upon.

The deadline to sign Gobert to the supermax extension expires on December 21, the day before the regular season begins. However, the Jazz can still ink their star center to a new deal after the season begins, but it will be below the supermax threshold.

For his part, Gobert has said he has his eye on basketball and isn’t worried about the ongoing extension negotiations.

Despite ongoing contract negotiations, Rudy Gobert said his goal is to win a championship with the @UtahJazz. #TakeNote https://t.co/BUOCttS6kM

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) December 2, 2020

“I’m focused on the upcoming season and I’m excited and about the negotiation talk,” Gobert said. “That’s why I have an agent. I can focus on basketball, and let him take care of that.”

Through two preseason games, Gobert has been a man of his word. The Jazz center is averaging 8.5 points, 14 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in just under 23 minutes per game.

The Jazz drafted Gobert with the 27th pick in the 2013 NBA draft. The center has earned two Defensive Player of the Year awards and has been named to four NBA All-Defensive teams, three All-NBA teams, and one All-Star game.