After receiving the Adrian Wojnarowski/Shams Charania notification that Rudy Gobert was being traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves, the natural response was, what did they give up? 

The initial gut reaction was that it cost the Timberwolves a lot to acquire the 7-foot-1 center with limited offensive ability. Minnesota traded away Malik Beasley, Patrick Beverley, Jarred Vanderbilt, Leandro Bolmaro, Walker Kessler, three unprotected first-round picks, a pick swap and a top-five protected first-round pick. 

The role players leaving will undoubtedly affect the depth of this team, but the picks are often looked at as the centerpiece of any deal. Giving up that many first-round picks have become commonplace, not just in the NBA but in the NFL as well (i.e., Los Angeles Rams). 

A trade that happened earlier this week that went fairly unnoticed was Royce O’Neale of the Utah Jazz getting sent to the Brooklyn Nets for a 2023 first-round pick (the least favorable of the Brooklyn/Houston Rockets pick swap or Philadelphia 76ers first-round pick). 

O’Neale is a quality defender, and he also averaged 7.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists last season. If that is the fair market value for a first-round pick, then a player so highly regarded as Gobert commands much more than that, as evidenced in the trade that happened on July 1.

If the Wolves contend as the front office thinks they can, then the average draft position will be around the 20th pick. For reference, Minnesota was the seventh seed in the Western Conference and was awarded the 19th pick in this year’s 2022 NBA Draft. 

Dating back to 2016, the 20th pick is as follows: Caris LeVert, Harry Giles III, Josh Okogie, Matisse Thybulle, Precious Achiuwa, and Jalen Johnson. While LeVert and Thybulle have become quality players, the rest leave a lot to be desired. 

Okogie, who’s now a member with the Phoenix Suns, did not get extended his qualifying offer from Minnesota this year. 

The draft is a crap shoot, and for a team that hasn’t drafted well in the past, fans should be elated that moving these picks allowed them to add an All-Star center. The hope for any draft pick is that they would eventually turn into a player as impactful as Gobert. 

Losing Beverley stings because he changed the culture of this franchise, but the potential upside of this trade is immense. 

This is one of the best rosters in Timberwolves franchise history after this move. This front office is willing to take big swings, and that’s not a bad thing for a team that hasn’t made the second round of the playoffs since 2004.

Let us know in the comment section below if you liked this trade.