Charles Barkley Continues To Roast The Rudy Gobert Trade
When the Minnesota Timberwolves traded for three-time All-Star center Rudy Gobert last summer, some fans thought the team would become the Western Conference’s newest true championship contender.
They imagined a frontcourt of Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns regularly locking down opposing teams and consistently holding them to low point totals and shooting percentages.
But it hasn’t exactly turned out that way, and with a 22-24 record, Minnesota is in 10th place in the West and in danger of missing the playoffs.
It prompted “NBA on TNT” personality Charles Barkley to have some harsh words for the Timberwolves.
“The Timberwolves made the worst trade in NBA history… That was so stupid that trade.”
— Charles Barkley#RaisedByWolvespic.twitter.com/7u8GA4ogIf
— ‘ (@_Talkin_NBA) January 17, 2023
If the ultimate judge of a trade is what a team gave up and the results it has gotten in the win-loss column, the Timberwolves definitely made a big mistake in trading for Gobert.
They gave up a whole lot to get him, sending Malik Beasley, Patrick Beverley, Leandro Bolmaro, Walker Kessler, and Jarred Vanderbilt, as well as future first-round draft picks in 2023, 2025, 2026, 2027 and 2029 to the Utah Jazz.
At the time, people around the league were startled at the price Gobert commanded.
Perhaps it would’ve been an appropriate price for someone like Joel Embiid or Nikola Jokic, but not Gobert.
The French native is averaging 13.3 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 1.3 blocked shots a game this season, which is down from 15.6 points, 14.7 boards, and 2.1 blocks a game last season.
While he is still a force defensively and on the boards, he is limited offensively, and he clogs the lane, making it harder for players such as Towns and Anthony Edwards to get easy baskets in the paint.
He hasn’t even come close to making Minnesota the defensive juggernaut it thought it would be, as it ranks just 14th in defensive rating.
Interestingly, the Jazz, who also jettisoned another three-time All-Star in Donovan Mitchell, have a better record than the Timberwolves do right now, and perhaps that tells us all we need to know about how terribly the Gobert trade has turned out for his new team.