Celtics GM Danny Ainge, historically one of the most aggressive front-office decision-makers in all of basketball, has never shied away from blockbuster trades. After Boston’s third conference finals defeat in four years, should the close-but-no-cigar Celtics shuffle the deck or stand pat with their core of scoring prodigy Jayson Tatum, sharpshooter Kemba Walker, Swiss-army knife Jaylen Brown, heart-and-soul Marcus Smart and free-agent prize Gordon Hayward?
One player who could intrigue the Celtics, assuming Ainge is open to trade possibilities, is Jazz center Rudy Gobert, a three-time all-league selection and two-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year. Gobert may have worn out his welcome in Utah, stirring up locker-room conflict with teammates including All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell for his cavalier approach to the coronavirus. The 7’1” Frenchman is entering the final year of his contract and is eligible for a goliath, five-year, $247.3 million super-max on his next deal. Under new ownership—the team was recently sold to tech billionaire Ryan Smith for a cool $1.6 billion—it’s unclear if the Jazz are willing to go above and beyond to keep the 28-year-old in Salt Lake.
CBS insider Sam Quinn suspects the team is more likely to trade veteran guard Mike Conley, but if Utah does put Gobert on the block, the Celtics would certainly be in contention for his services. A prolific rebounder and shot blocker as well as an adequate around-the-rim finisher (15.1 points per game in 2019-20), Gobert would fill an obvious need for the Celtics, who were dominated in the low post by Bam Adebayo during their recent Eastern Conference Finals loss to Miami. Small ball has worked for some teams (most notably the analytics-driven Houston Rockets), but if the Celtics truly have championship aspirations, the frontcourt duo of Enes Kanter and Robert “Time Lord” Williams probably won’t cut it. Gobert would theoretically solve that conundrum in one fell swoop.
Gobert doesn’t fit all the Celtics’ criteria. As Quinn alluded to in his Jazz offseason preview, coach Brad Stevens prefers centers who can shoot. That’s a box Gobert—whose shooting range extends about 10 feet from the basket—has never been able to check. But if Stevens is able to let that slide, the seven-year vet would make plenty of sense for Boston.
“Boston is the obvious fit with three first-round picks (No. 14, No. 26, No. 30), two young big men (Robert Williams, Grant Williams) and, possibly, a big expiring salary (Gordon Hayward) to offer,” wrote Quinn, arguing the case for Gobert in Beantown. “Gobert instantly solves Boston's Bam Adebayo problem and possibly its Anthony Davis conundrum as well.”
The Celtics certainly have the most to offer with plenty of draft capital and potentially Hayward to sweeten the deal (Hayward, of course, is already a fan favorite in Utah), but would Boston crack open its treasure trove of picks for a year of Gobert? That remains to be seen. We’ve seen short-term rentals work in the past, most notably Kawhi Leonard’s one-and-done Toronto tenure, but the Celtics would probably want some assurance of Gobert re-signing before agreeing to a trade of that magnitude.
At this early juncture, the Gobert to Boston buzz is more a fun hypothetical than anything, but if the Jazz do explore moving their star big man this offseason, don’t be surprised if the center-needy C’s are right in the thick of things.
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