The Minnesota Timberwolves made a blockbuster trade Friday afternoon, and I mean BLOCKBUSTER. Rudy Gobert is now a member of the Wolves, but what are the pros and cons of this move?

Let’s take a full look at how this trade breaks down:

• Utah Jazz Receive:
  • Malik Beasley
  • Patrick Beverley
  • Jarred Vanderbilt
  • Leandro Bolmaro
  • Walker Kessler
  • 2023 unprotected first-round pick
  • 2025 unprotected first-round pick
  • 2026 pick swap
  • 2027 unprotected first-round pick
  • 2029 top-5 protected first-round pick
• Minnesota Timberwolves Receive
  • Rudy Gobert

That’s a lot for one player, and it’ll be interesting to see if another team is involved in this trade.

Here’s what the Timberwolves’ depth chart looks like now:

• PG: D’Angelo Russell, Jordan McLaughlin
• SG: Anthony Edwards, Jaylen Nowell, Wendell Moore Jr.
• SF: Jaden McDaniels, Taurean Prince, Josh Minott (contract depending)
• PF: Karl-Anthony Towns, Kyle Anderson
• C: Gobert, Naz Reid

That’s 11 players; 12 depending on what Minott’s contract will be next season. This means the Timberwolves will need to add players through free agency. Because they have one of the best rosters in the league, veterans will be more likely to come to Minnesota to play.

Pros:

The Timberwolves gave up a lot in this trade, but they kept their starting rotation intact. If they included McDaniels or even Russell, then the draft picks would look a lot different.

A starting lineup of DLo/Ant/JMac/KAT/Gobert is one of the best starting fives in the NBA. On paper, this team should win +50-55 games, which would potentially net them a home-court advantage.

NBA Win Share leaders last season:
1. Nikola Jokic – 15.2
2. Giannis Antetokounmpo – 12.9
3. Joel Embiid – 12.0
4. Rudy Gobert – 11.7
5. Karl-Anthony Towns – 10.3

The Timberwolves have two players in the top-5#RaisedByWolves

— Timberwolves Talk (@LetsTalk_Wolves) July 1, 2022

Last season Gobert and KAT finished in the top five in win shares.

It’s hard to see how opposing teams defend Towns and Gobert down low or when KAT is stretching the floor.

Offensively, that’s an elite four-five punch. But what about defensively?

Gobert is arguably the best defensive player in the NBA. In nine seasons, he’s won Defensive Player of the Year three times. He’s also a six-time All-Defensive player and rated third in defensive win shares (4.3) last season.

Russell is one of the best pick and roll players in the NBA, and Gobert is one of the best rollers in the league. Those two running that action, with KAT, Edwards and McDaniels on the wings will be hard to stop.

Rudy Gobert is an outstanding PnR roll-man, creating opportunities for himself + teammates with impactful screens + explosive rim-running:

– 1.32 PPP as a PnR roll-man (82nd %ile*)

– 7.3 screen assists/75 poss. (97th %ile*)

*among bigspic.twitter.com/HcI8Kel0LR

— Timberwolves Clips (@WolvesClips) July 1, 2022

The Timberwolves struggled on the glass, and Gobert is one of the best rebounders in the game. Do you think they could have used him in that fourth quarter when Brandon Clarke was grabbing all of those offensive boards? Absolutely.

Last season the three-time All-Star led the league in rebounds at 14.7 per game. He’s going to be an elite rebounder in Minnesota and improve the team in that category.

Cons:

One con to this trade is losing all those draft picks.

Edwards and McDaniels will likely sign long-term deals after their rookie contracts are up. Plus, Gobert will be an unrestricted free agent in 2026, and Towns will be one in 2028.

As long as the Timberwolves remain competitive, then losing these draft picks isn’t as big of a deal – especially if Tim Connelly can hit a couple of singles and doubles in the second round.

The other concern is the fit. Will Towns and Gobert mesh well together? That’s to be determined, and we won’t know until we see them take the floor.

There are a lot of takeaways from this trade, but one thing is for sure, and that’s the Timberwolves going all-in on winning a championship, and that’s something we can all get behind.