The Utah Jazz crashed out of the playoffs in the first round, losing to a Dallas Mavericks team that didn’t have their main superstar in Luka Doncic for the first 3 games. The cracks had been showing for the Jazz for a while, but it does seem like this season’s playoff failure will be the catalyst in ending the Rudy Gobert-Donovan Mitchell era in Utah.
With reports that Gobert is also at a ‘me or him’ stage with Mitchell, and suggestions that the Jazz will move on from him before they move on from Donovan, there is understandably a lot of speculation about where Gobert might end up ahead of next season. While several teams would be interested in a 3-time Defensive Player Of the Year, the Toronto Raptors have emerged as a potential suitor as per Ian Begley of SNY.
“One note on Gobert: The Toronto Raptors are among the teams who would have a degree of interest in trading for him if he’s made available, sources say.”
The Raptors have built a team of skilled and oversized players, names like Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, and Scottie Barnes all spring to mind. A team that is already defensively excellent, the addition of Gobert would make them incredibly difficult to score on considering their excellent perimeter defense.
Now, what package they might have to give up for Gobert remains to be seen, but the Raptors have the pieces to make the move if their interest is truly concrete. The Eastern Conference is stacked as it is already, and the addition of Gobert might give Toronto a very real defensive edge.
Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Bam Adebayo are all set to be dominating the Eastern Conference for at least 5 more years, and an inside presence would be a blessing for the Raptors as they aim to recapture the magic of 2019 and become serious contenders for the NBA title once again.
