It’s no secret: The Utah Jazz are open to trading Rudy Gobert and are listening to offers. There has been speculation around the league that Quin Snyder stepping away as coach makes a Gobert trade more likely.
However, if the offers are all lowball ones for Gobert, the Jazz will run it back.
This isn’t new (we at NBC have reported that before), but the latest to source it is Jake Fischer of Bleader Report on his podcast, and he says a Gobert trade happening is close to a coin flip (hat tip Hoopshype).
Another thing Fischer makes clear: The Jazz are hanging up if teams ask about Donovan Mitchell. The only way Mitchell leaves is he demands it.
While Toronto, Atlanta, Charlotte, and Chicago have been linked to Gobert in trade rumors, Utah’s asking price is reportedly very steep — an All-Star (or future All-Star) young player plus picks (and enough salary to match for tax reasons). That, combined with the fact Gobert has four years and $170 million remaining on his max contract extension, makes finding a trade difficult. Add to that the fact Gobert is not a plug-and-play big for every team — his strength is in drop coverage, it takes specific personnel to play that well — and the odds of finding a trade become longer.
There still seems to be some momentum building toward a Gobert trade, but if it doesn’t come together, don’t be shocked. Whoever the next Jazz coach may be, he (or she) may have to find solutions that Snyder and company struggled with in the postseason.
