Rudy Gobert Rumors: Mavs Unlikely to Make 'All-Out Trade Pursuit' for Jazz C

Contrary to recent speculation, the Dallas Mavericks are reportedly not all-in on acquiring All-Star center Rudy Gobert from the Utah Jazz.

According to NBA insider Marc Stein, league sources said the Mavs are "unlikely to initiate an all-out trade pursuit" of Gobert.

During an appearance on the Lowe Post podcast on April 1, ESPN's Tim MacMahon reported that while Gobert wants to remain with the Jazz, the Mavericks were expected to have interest if he became available, and Gobert was thought to be interested in playing alongside Mavs superstar guard Luka Doncic.

The 29-year-old Gobert has been one of the NBA's top centers for the past several seasons, earning three consecutive All-Star nods and winning the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award in 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2020-21.

Gobert is coming off another highly productive season in 2021-22, averaging 15.6 points on a league-best 71.3 percent shooting and an NBA-high 14.7 rebounds per game, as well as 2.1 blocks and 1.1 assists.

With Gobert as a key player on the team, the Jazz have reached the playoffs in six consecutive seasons, but they have not made it out of the second round during that time.

That included a first-round exit at the hands of Doncic and the Mavericks this campaign.

Since playoff success has eluded the Jazz, one school of thought suggests that Utah will make sweeping changes to the roster this offseason by trading either Gobert or All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell.

Observers have also questioned if Gobert and Mitchell will be able to coexist moving forward amid rumors of discontent between them.

The Jazz have not indicated that they plan to trade Gobert, but if they decide to, the Mavericks would be a logical landing spot.

Despite not having a second star to support Doncic, the Mavs made it all the way to the Western Conference Finals this season, falling to the Golden State Warriors in five games.

Gobert would seemingly be an ideal complement to Doncic, especially after Dallas dealt power forward Kristaps Porzingis to the Washington Wizards in February before the trade deadline.

The Mavericks need a second star and a dominant player on the interior, and Gobert would check both of those boxes.

However, based on Stein's report, the Mavericks may not be willing to part with a ton of key pieces in order to add Gobert to the equation.