It may be time for the Minnesota Timberwolves to confront the Rudy Gobert problem that has quickly become quite evident.
The Minnesota Timberwolves should feel good about back-to-back Western Conference Finals appearances, but if they're going to keep their core together and even make additions to build around Anthony Edwards, they have to make a decision on the future of Rudy Gobert. In many ways, Gobert could already be complicating things financially for the Wolves, and they aren't even in a position yet where they have to make huge, big-picture decisions.
As they head into the offseason, there is already speculation that the team may not be able to keep its core together. In the eyes of ESPN's Brian Windhorst, he doesn't see a scenario where it will be easy for the Wolves to re-sign Julius Randle, Naz Reid, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker. It's hard not to see Gobert's contract playing a big part in that.
Both Randle and Reid could opt out of their current deals to test free agency this summer, and Alexander-Walker is an unrestricted free agent this offseason. The Wolves are going to be in a bind if Randle and Reid opt out, and there's a very good chance that they will lose at least one key piece to their conference finals rotation this summer.
Is it time to trade Rudy Gobert?
Unless they could solve the Gobert problem, which is handcuffing this team from a salary perspective. You'd have to imagine that this is going to be a conversation that needs to take place behind the scenes. Even though Gobert isn't on an outrageous deal, I'm not sure you can pay him as much as they are with as many limitations he has when the game is on the line.
In a vacuum, Gobert is a very good player. He's constantly in the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year running and is one of the best rim-protectors in the league. The problem with Gobert is, he doesn't bring much on the offensive end of the floor, and when matched up against small, quicker bigs, it's easy to play him off the floor, especially in key moments.
Many times, especially in the playoffs, Gobert is forced to the bench because of the lineups that opponents have on the floor. If a player can be schemed off the court, I'm not sure the argument in him being worth north of $35 million per season.
If the Wolves are going to continue to build a championship contender around Edwards, the unfortunate truth is that they're probably going to have to trade Gobert. His contract doesn't expire until after the 2027-28 season, and I'm not sure the Wolves can wait that far to open up the financial flexibility they need.
Minnesota has a Gobert problem that they must deal with now. If not, it could prevent them from taking the next step forward as a franchise and may perhaps even hold this team back from possibly winning a title in the next few years.