Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert gets some much-needed clarity on his uncertain future with the team before the start of the 2024-25 season.
Over the last year, the Minnesota Timberwolves have become one of the Western Conference darlings. Heading into the 2024-25 NBA season, the Wolves are considered to be one of the favorites to win the conference. The continued rise of Anthony Edwards and the consistent play of their twin towers in the frontcourt (Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns) have helped the Wolves make the leap toward contention over the past year.
But even despite their success from last season, there's no question that there are plenty of future questions that will be answered by how the Wolves perform this season. At the forefront of those questions is the uncertainty of Gobert's future with the team. After this season, he can opt out of his contract to test free agency.
However, according to Wolves President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly, Gobert is still very much considered a big part of this team's future.
""We’d like Rudy (Gobert) to be here for a long time."Wolves President Tim Connelly
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Heading into the start of the season, it's fair to question how the Wolves will fare. Coming practically out of nowhere last season and making it all the way to the Western Conference Finals, Minnesota is going to head into the new year with plenty of new expectations on their shoulders. Whether they'll be able to live up to them or not is one of the bigger questions across the Western Conference.
And, whether many are willing to admit it or not, Gobert does play a big part in that. As the team's second or third-best player on the roster, depending on how you label KAT, the Wolves don't make it to the conference finals last season without Gobert's contributions. That will likely continue to be the case this year. If Gobert doesn't continue to play at a high level, the Wolves are going to struggle - no matter how much of a jump Edwards is able to make.
For as promising as Edwards may appear to be, if he doesn't have a capable supporting cast, it's going to be difficult for him to carry the Wolves to similar success this year. As he heads into what could be the final year of his contract, there is plenty Gobert is playing for - including a new deal with the team.