NBA Rumors: Rudy Gobert Didn't Ask for 'Full Supermax' Contract from Jazz

Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert is entering the final season of his contract, and there are questions as to whether he and the Jazz can agree to a long-term extension before he becomes an unrestricted free agent next summer.

ESPN NBA reporter Tim MacMahon broke down those negotiations on Brian Windhorst's Hoop Collective podcast Thursday (h/t RealGM):

"I don't have precise contract figures. I have been told that he did not ask for the full supermax. I know there has been some reporting in Utah that he did. I've been told that is not true. That he did not ask for the full supermax. I don't know what neighborhood the Jazz are in. There's a gulf there. We will see if that gap is closed before the supermax extension deadline. He can also do a lesser extension during the season."

On Wednesday, Porter Larsen of ESPN 700 reported that Gobert was asking for the supermax (35 percent of the tax), but the Jazz only offered a standard max deal (30 percent), and Gobert turned that figure down.

Gobert, 28, remains one of the best defensive players in the NBA as a two-time Defensive Player of the Year winner and a four-time first-team All-Defensive selection. He was also an All-Star for the first time in 2020 and is a two-time third-team All-NBA selection and a one-time second-team selection. 

If Gobert was an offensive player on the level of a Nikola Jokic or Joel Embiid, there's little doubt that he'd be a supermax-worthy player. As it stands, the 15.1 points he averaged last season and his limited range—he's basically only an offensive threat in the paint—is a limitation on that end.

Granted, keeping him long-term makes sense for Utah. Players with his defensive impact and ability to finish above the rim as the roll man don't grow on trees. But it would make sense if the Jazz aren't interested in a supermax contract or even that Gobert isn't expecting that figure.

It also wouldn't make sense if there remains a rift between Donovan Mitchell and Gobert after the latter was the first NBA player to test positive for COVID-19, with Mitchell being irked by Gobert's irresponsible behavior before his positive test. But MacMahon said that beef was squashed. 

"The encouraging thing was after the way-too-public fallout between Donovan and Rudy Gobert, things between them went very smoothly in the bubble," he said. "It reaffirmed the Jazz's belief that it can continue to be a productive and personal partnership. Nobody is asking whether Donovan and Rudy can get along right now."