Rudy Gobert Trade to Timberwolves Shocks NBA Twitter; Jazz Praised for Return

The Utah Jazz have moved on from star big man Rudy Gobert, sending him to the Minnesota Timberwolves in a blockbuster deal on Friday in exchange for Malik Beasley, Patrick Beverley, Jarred Vanderbilt, Leandro Bolmaro, Walker Kessler and four first-round picks, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

While Gobert had been included in trade rumors all offseason, his move to Minnesota was shocking to many fans around the NBA.

That said, the Jazz were praised for their absolute haul of a return. While the individual players included in the deal aren't the best, the whopping four first-round picks, one of which is top-five protected in 2029, will be a game-changer for Utah in the future.

Gobert, a three-time Defensive Player of the Year, was always going to command a hefty return, but not many believed the Jazz would be able to snag four first-round picks for the veteran, in addition to a number of roster players.

That said, Minnesota's lineup could be one of the best in the NBA in 2022-23 with Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels and D'Angelo Russell set to take the floor together.

The Timberwolves possibly felt like they needed to make this trade in order to compete against the likes of the Golden State Warriors, Memphis Grizzlies and Phoenix Suns in an increasingly difficult Western Conference.

Pairing Gobert with Towns will undoubtedly make the franchise a contender in 2022-23 and beyond. The 30-year-old averaged 15.6 points, 14.7 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 2.1 blocks per game last season for a Utah team that was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs.

In 2022-23, Gobert and the Timberwolves will be a serious threat to make a deep playoff run.

As for Utah, it seems more and more likely the franchise is headed for a rebuild, though Wojnarowski reported the team plans to retool the roster around Donovan Mitchell. However, if the Jazz also end up trading Mitchell, it will be clear that the franchise wants to start anew.