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

Orlando Magic

The trade: Nikola Vucevic, Mo Bamba and ORL 2020 and 2022 first-round picks for Rudy Gobert.

Nikola Vucevic is almost Gobert’s polar opposite. He can shoot and pass, but not really block shots. While my friends who follow the Orlando Magic say Bamba has disappointed this far into his career, he is still extremely young, with a wingspan longer than Gobert’s.

The Jazz hasn’t had an offensively gifted center since Enes Kanter, and Vucevic’s defense is far better than Kanter’s.

Additionally, while Gobert will likely demand a steep raise after next summer, Vucevic’s contract deescalates through 2023.

The Magic offense has been woeful since the late Dwight Howard era, and this trade wouldn’t solve it. But it would probably bump their defense up a few spots. Additionally, it would allow Gobert to play with French national teammate Evan Fournier.

This trade wouldn’t make Orlando a contender but might allow them to sniff homecourt advantage in the future, and allow Gobert to play in a state with no income tax, making a sub-super-max deal more palatable.