Rudy Gobert has secured his future with the Utah Jazz after agreeing to a huge contract extension on Sunday. The French big man has been a great piece for the team, winning DPOY awards in the past couple of years, becoming one of the best players in his position. However, plenty of fans believe this contract was a lot for Gobert and the Jazz.
With his contract extension, Rudy signed the 3rd largest contract in NBA history. That’s how much he’s getting over the next five years. Only Giannis Antetokounmpo ($228 million) and Russell Westbrook ($207 million) surpass Gobert. Stephen Curry ($201M), Anthony Davis ($190M) and Klay Thompson ($190M) close the top 5.
Five biggest contracts in NBA history
1.Giannis Antetokounmpo- $228M
2.Russell Westbrook-$207M
3.Rudy Gobert- $205M
4.Steph Curry- $201M
5.Anthony Davis- $190M
5.Klay Thompson- $190M
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) December 20, 2020
It’s worth noting that Gobert was eligible to sign the supermax, which would have tied him with Giannis Antetokounmpo as the highest contract in NBA history. Talking with Tim MacMahon of ESPN, Gobert revealed that wasn’t his intention.
“For me, my goal is to always win a championship,” said Gobert, who has a player option for the fifth season of the deal. “When we spoke with my agent before the negotiations started, I decided that I didn’t want to ask for the supermax. We didn’t want to start the negotiations by asking for the supermax. For me, it was important to show to the organization and show to the team that it wasn’t about money. It was about continuing to build what we’ve been building and also give this team and give myself the stability and the peace of mind to not have to deal with the negotiations later.“I want to win, and I feel like leaving this money on the table for the team just to be able to have better talent around me and Donovan was really important. I want to win, and I believe in this group and I believe in this organization, and I was willing to leave that money on the table for them.”
If this contract raised a lot of eyebrows around the league, imagine how things would have been if the Jazz actually offered him the supermax. Gobert is ready to help his team compete for the title alongside Donovan Mitchell, who also signed an extension this offseason. Their relationship didn’t look salvageable after Gobert tested positive for COVID-19 last March but now things have changed and these guys are on a mission.
We have now passed the $1 billion mark on extensions this offseason.
10 players (and also 2021 free agents) have received new contracts:
Giannis Antetokounmpo
LeBron James
Paul George
Rudy Gobert
Steven Adams
Monte Morris
Jayson Tatum
Donovan Mitchell
Bam Adebayo
De'Aaron Fox
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) December 20, 2020
The league already surpassed the $1B mark this offseason, with 10 players and free agents receiving huge extensions. Plenty of things have secured their future with these signings and others will surely surpass this mark next offseason.
