While the NBA world waits to see if Kevin Durant or Donovan Mitchell get traded any time soon, the Minnesota Timberwolves hold the distinction for pulling off the biggest move this offseason. Minnesota packaged a number of picks and young players and sent them to the Utah Jazz in exchange for Rudy Gobert, the three-time Defensive Player of the Year whose name had popped up in trade rumors for quite some time.
It was a curious trade, as the Timberwolves already have Karl-Anthony Towns on the roster. But it’s safe to say the team wants to try something new, with Towns and Gobert playing together as an oversized frontcourt. On Friday, Minnesota held a press conference to announce his new $224 million contract extension, and at one point, the big man was asked about Gobert. Towns had nothing but good things to say and expressed optimism about what he will bring to the table.
“[Rudy’s] gonna be a massive part of us being a championship team.”
Is Gobert the missing piece for the T-Wolves?
@NBATV pic.twitter.com/J4qKUURWRI
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 22, 2022
“I expect a lot of winning for sure, it’s just a lot of winning, from everything,” Towns said. “I wanna win, I’m not up here just blowing smoke, I really wanna try to bring a championship run here to Minnesota, and I think Rudy adds a huge component to that. He’s gonna be a massive part of us being a championship team, and my job is to help him as much as he’s gonna help me. His strengths are my weaknesses and his weaknesses are my strengths, so, we’ll be able to play off of each other.”
The Timberwolves have never won an NBA championship and have made it out of the first round of the postseason one time in franchise history — the team got to the Western Conference Finals in 2004. With Gobert in tow, Towns on a long-term deal, and the emergence of Anthony Edwards, it’s safe to say the Wolves are in as good a position as ever to change that.