Before the Utah Jazz pulled off their blockbuster trade sending Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves, the organization’s front office reportedly pitched a deal that would have instead sent their All-Star center to the Toronto Raptors.
On Friday, the Jazz and Timberwolves agreed on a massive deal that saw Utah send their homegrown star Rudy Gobert to Minnesota for five players — including Patrick Beverley — and four future first-round picks. Despite lacking big names, the return was viewed as a fantastic one for the Jazz. However, it seems that they were indeed looking for more impactful talent now in a possible deal, and inquired with the Raptors about a couple of their best players.
On Saturday, Hoops Hype writer Michael Scotto revealed that before an agreement was made between the Jazz and ‘Wolves, Utah got Toronto on the horn to gauge their interest in giving up OG Anunoby and Gary Trent, Jr. in a swap for Gobert. “Gobert ranked atop Toronto’s wish list ahead of other centers on the trade market, such as Myles Turner, whose name has been mentioned in more rumors over the years,” Scotto wrote.
Related: Minnesota Timberwolves complete blockbuster trade for Rudy Gobert
Obviously, a deal wasn’t made, and one has to assume if four first-round picks were a starting point for Utah in a Rudy Gobert trade, a savvy team president like Masai Ujiri likely found that to be too high a price.
Did the Utah Jazz make the right Rudy Gobert trade?
At first glance, landing OG Anunoby and Gary Trent, Jr. might seem much more appealing than what the Jazz scored from the Timberwolves. Even with the potential of 2022 first-round pick Walker Kessler. However, the chance to get four first-round picks for a player of Gobert’s caliber is a fantastic long-term return.
Gobert is one of the best defensive players in the league in an era of the NBA where scoring value is at an all-time high. While the Frenchman will certainly help Minnesota, they mortgaged much of their future for a player that isn’t likely to get them a championship.
Chances are, no other teams were going to send the Jazz that much draft capital, so for a team looking to rebuild, or use those picks in other trades, making the deal with the Timberwolves was the right move in the end. Especially, if that was their best-case scenario in a Gobert trade.