The Minnesota Timberwolves pulled off the blockbuster trade for Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert. He may have an awkward interaction with Anthony Edwards.
There was a huge trade in the NBA on Friday, July 1, and it did not have to do with Kevin Durant. Instead, the trade featured center Rudy Gobert getting traded by the Utah Jazz to the Minnesota Timberwolves for multiple players and first-round draft picks. This move immediately makes Minnesota an even better team. But, will there be some awkwardness upon Gobert’s arrival?
Back last December, Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards made some interesting comments about Gobert. When saying that Kristaps Porzingis was hard to get layups against and was the best rim protector in the league, Edwards said that Gobert “don’t put no fear in my heart.”
Anthony Edwards critical comments of Rudy Gobert resurface following trade
Awkward or not, they are now teammates.
The specific details of the trade are the Timberwolves acquiring Gobert from the Jazz in exchange for Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt, Patrick Beverley, Walker Kessler, and Leandro Bomaro, three unprotected first-round picks (2023, 2025, 2027), a top-five protected first-round pick in 2029, and a first-round pick swap in 2026.
This past season, Gobert led the league in average rebounds per game (14.7), field goal percentage (71.3), two-point field goal percentage (71.8), and effective field goal percentage (71.3).
If the season were to start today, Minnesota’s starting lineup would consists of Edwards, Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns, D’Angelo Russell, and Kyle Anderson. With this trade, the Timberwolves are aiming to make it to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.