NBA Trade Rumors: 4 potential offseason trade ideas for Rudy Gobert

NBA Trade Rumors: With whispers of a potential disconnect, we explore four potential trade ideas for Rudy Gobert during the offseason.

In a recent report by The Athletic (subscription required), it’s being reported that there’s a fracture between the relationship of Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell and that it may be at the point of no return. That leaves for the possibility of the Utah Jazz trading one of them this summer – that probably means Gobert.

Despite this recent report, you could make the argument that the Jazz needed to move Gobert even before everything that has transpired over the last month.

Rudy Gobert is a two-time reigning Defensive Player of the Year, but his role has been somewhat limited in the playoffs against small-ball teams -his shot attempts, points, rebounds, and PER (player efficiency rating) went down in each of the previous three playoffs compared to his averages that regular season, though not by a tremendous amount.

His playing time and assists decreased two of those years, while his blocks and steals remained about the same. Simply put, his contributions don’t scale up in the playoffs. On the offensive end, it’s because he can’t dribble. Even still, he is an elite center, who could be a key player on a championship team.

Gobert is eligible for a supermax contract this summer, which would begin in the 2021-22 season – just as Donovan Mitchell begins his first max contract – that the Jazz would be ill-advised to pay him. Assuming we have a 2020 playoffs, if the Jazz team fails to make the Western Conference Finals, the change will come, key players will be moved, and Gobert makes the most sense to trade.

These four teams make the most sense for a Rudy Gobert trade.