Timberwolves Sign Superstar Rudy Gobert to Blockbuster Extension
October 23, 2024
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The Minnesota Timberwolves have inked a surprise three-year, $110 million contract extension with Defensive Player of the Year center Rudy Gobert, sources have informed Shams Charania of ESPN.
Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert has reached a three-year, $110 million contract extension, sources tell ESPN. T’Wolves and Gobert’s agent, Bouna Ndiaye, negotiated the new deal locking in the league-record four-time Defensive Player of the Year winner in Minnesota. pic.twitter.com/1FfVQnbJYa
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 23, 2024
Gobert first arrived in Minnesota as part of a blockbuster 2022 offseason trade that saw Timberwolves team president Tim Connelly take a big swing, offloading serious future draft equity in a deal with the Utah Jazz.
The 7-foot-1 standout has struggled in the postseason and is limited offensively to scoring around the rim, but he remains a significant regular season threat.
Julius Randle #30, Anthony Edwards #5 and Rudy Gobert #27 of the Minnesota Timberwolves celebrate a basket against the Chicago Bulls during the second half of a preseason game at the United Center on October… Julius Randle #30, Anthony Edwards #5 and Rudy Gobert #27 of the Minnesota Timberwolves celebrate a basket against the Chicago Bulls during the second half of a preseason game at the United Center on October 16, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. Gobert just agreed to a generous extension.
Michael Reaves/Getty Images
The Timberwolves have enjoyed an active offseason this summer. The team traded to acquire the rights to No. 8 draft pick Rob Dillingham out of Kentucky, then ditched four-time All-Star power forward/center Karl-Anthony Towns, who’s been with the club since he was drafted first overall in 2015. In sending Towns to the New York Knicks, Minnesota brought back three-time All-Star power forward Julius Randle, two-way shooting guard Donte DiVincenzo, and a future first-round draft pick.
Read more: NBA Executives Think Knicks Lost Blockbuster 3-Team Karl-Anthony Towns Trade
Connelly’s decision to extend Gobert now clearly indicates that he is confident the three-time All-Star big man will be a core piece for this club.
Last year, led by Gobert, Towns, and All-NBA shooting guard Anthony Edwards, Minnesota posted a stellar 56-26 overall record and advanced all the way to the Western Conference Finals.
The 32-year-old Gobert will earn $43.8 million this season. He declined a $46.7 million player option for 2025-26 in order to take this current deal, which will pay him a slighter salary per season but offer him greater long-term security. He’s now under team control through 2027-28. That last year of the agreement is a player option, per Charania.
Both of the Timberwolves’ other top frontcourt players, reigning Sixth Man of the Year Naz Reid and the aforementioned Randle, have their own player options for next year, too. Either could reach free agency. Paying Gobert less in the presence gives Minnesota some added ability to make other personnel moves next summer and beyond.
A seven-time All-Defensive Teamer, four-time Defensive Player of the Year, and four-time All-NBA honoree, the “Stifle Tower” averaged 14.0 points on 66.1 percent shooting from the field (mostly around the rack) and 63.8 percent foul line shooting in 2023-24. He also grabbed 12.9 points, blocked 2.1 shots, passed for 1.3 assists, and snatched 0.7 steals, while appearing in a robust 76 games last year.
Gobert’s issues switching onto wings defensively and as a shooter have made him the subject of considerable criticism from pundits and rival big men alike.
After his native Team France benched him in favor of All-Defensive San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama during the 2024 Paris Olympics, his detractors felt even more vindicated.
Gobert remains a tough opponent night in and night out. But he’s solvable in the postseason. Until he gets over the hump and makes the NBA Finals proper, that may forever be the knock on his game — and the key caveat when he signs lucrative deals like this.
Read more: Shaquille O’Neal Reveals His Pick for Worst NBA Player Right Now
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