UTAH JAZZ
Jazz Trading Rudy Gobert To Timberwolves Per Report
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Jazz are sending Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves for five players, and an unprecedented number of future draft picks.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Jazz are sending Gobert to the Timberwolves for Malik Beasley, Patrick Beverley, Jarred Vanderbilt, Leandro Balmaro, and rookie Walker Kessler.
The Timberwolves will also send the Jazz four future first-round picks, including unprotected picks in 2023, 2025, and 2027, a top-five protected pick in 2029, and the right to swap picks with Minnesota in 2026.
Minnesota is sending its 2023, 2025 and 2027 picks unprotected and a top-5 protected 2029 pick to Utah, sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/fz3wxKJT0D
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2022
The move signifies a major shift in the Jazz future as Gobert was under contract with the roster for the next three seasons, and had been a cornerstone for the franchise for the last nine years.
On Thursday, the Jazz traded Royce O’Neale to the Brooklyn Nets for a 2023 first-round draft pick, netting the team five future first-round picks from other teams in the last 24 hours.
Gobert is one of the most decorated players in Jazz history having earned three Defensive Player of the Year awards, three All-Star nods, four All-NBA appearances, and six All-Defensive First Team selections.
The French superstar averaged 15.6 points and a league-leading 14.7 rebounds last season and led the NBA in field goal percentage three of the last four seasons.
Jazz Acquire Five Players
The Jazz will welcome five new players in the trade including three players aged 23 or younger in Vanderbilt, Bolmaro, and Kessler, and two veterans in Beasley and Beverley.
Vanderbilt was a second-round draft pick in 2018 and became a regular rotation player for the Timberwolves over the last two seasons. Since 2020, Vanderbilt has averaged 6.2 points and 7.2 rebounds while shooting 60 percent from the floor in 138 games in Minnesota.
The forward has two-year and $9 million remaining on his contract.
The Jazz gathered six first-round picks in the past 24 hours, including 7-footer Walker Kessler, the 22nd overall pick in the 2022 Draft. The Jazz plan to retool the roster around All-Star G Donovan Mitchell.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2022
Bolmaro was the 23rd pick in the 2020 NBA draft and stayed overseas for a season before joining the Timberwolves last year. The rookie averaged 1.4 points and 1.2 rebounds in 35 appearances with Minnesota.
The Argentine forward is under contract for $2.4 million next season with team options for the following two years.
Kessler was selected by the Timberwolves with the 22nd pick in last week’s NBA draft. The center began his college career at North Carolina but transferred to Auburn as a sophomore where he averaged 11.4 points, 8.1 rebounds, and an impressive 4.6 blocks per game.
The big man is under team control on his rookie deal for the next several seasons.
Walker Kessler last season at Auburn:
▪️ 2021-22 Naismith & NABC National Defensive Player of the Year
▪️ Led the NCAA in blocks
▪️ Set a single season record with 155 blocks
▪️ 2021-22 SEC Defensive Player of the Year
▪️ 2021-22 All-SEC First Team pic.twitter.com/AKgrlrO7GH— Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) June 24, 2022
The Jazz also added two NBA veterans that could step onto the floor and help the team right away.
Beverley is a 10-year NBA veteran who averaged 9.2 points, 4.6 assists, and 4.1 rebounds with Minnesota last season. The guard has been named to three All-Defensive teams during his career.
The veteran has one-year and $13 million remaining on his contract.
Always business. Wolves 🐺 Thank You❤️. Time to take another team 2 Playoffs
— Patrick Beverley (@patbev21) July 1, 2022
Beasley is a wildcard selection for the Jazz who has tremendous talent on the floor, and an ugly history off it. The wing averaged 19.6 points and 4.4 rebounds in the 2020-21 season while shooting 40 percent from the three-point line, but was arrested that year for pointing a gun at a family that drove near his property.
The forward was sentenced to 120 days of home confinement after pleading guilty to the felony and was suspended 12 games by the NBA. Beasley served 78 days of his sentence and was released.
His average dipped to 12.1 points and 2.9 rebounds last season with the Timberwolves. Beasley has two years and $32 million remaining on his contract, but the final year of his deal is a team option.
