The Minnesota Timberwolves decided to empty out their squad to try and take a big step towards contending for an NBA title. After the chemistry between the young core and continued growth of Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards, the Timberwolves decided to trade their roster depth and 4 future picks to acquire Rudy Gobert from Utah.
The Wolves had a defensive anchor last season in Jarred Vanderbilt. The second-round pick from the 2018 Draft was the primary paint protector for the Wolves last season and was traded to acquire Gobert.
After the Wolves put up a thank you post for Vando and the three other players that were traded in one tweet, the player aired his disappointment with the team for not even giving the players individual goodbyes.
https://twitter.com/JVando/status/1544755426008281088
The other players sent to Utah in the trade were Patrick Beverley, Malik Beasley, and 2022 first-round pick Walker Kessler. The 3-time Defensive Player of the Year will be crucial at covering up the poor defense of Karl-Anthony Towns, who can cover up the poor offensive skills of Gobert. This twin-tower dynamic will be fascinating to see next season.
The Wolves have taken a big step towards letting the Western Conference know they will be in contention for a top seed this year. Gobert has flaws in his game that have been exposed in the playoffs but he has guaranteed regular-season success every year so far in his career. With the Wolves keeping good wing defenders like Jaden McDaniels, the hope is that Gobert can be better protected here than he was in Utah.
The offseason has just started so the Wolves could make more roster moves to shore up their perimeter defense. They have two mercurial offensive talents in Edwards and KAT, they have a facilitator in D’Angelo Russell, and Gobert is the final piece of their defensive scheme.
