Everyone has an opinion about the summer trade that sent Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves — including Kevin Garnett.
The Timberwolves legend is the latest to give his opinion on the trade, asking if his former team gave up too much of their nucleus to bring Gobert to Minnesota.
The Truth about Gobert to Minnesota and other offseason moves @BetMGM @shobasketball #Kgcertifiedhttps://t.co/EtyaRkcIaJ pic.twitter.com/8YRs8pQAaF
— Kevin Garnett (@KevinGarnett5KG) September 21, 2022
“I actually thought they gave up a lot to get Rudy Gobert,” Garnett said during his latest episode of Showtime’s KG Certified. “They had some dawgs, man…[Jarred] Vanderbilt, [Patrick] Beverley, some of those real personalities with a presence.”
The blockbuster deal saw the Timberwolves give the Utah Jazz Beverley, Vanderbilt, Malik Beasley, Leandro Bolmaro and five first-round picks in exchange for the three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, but the trade has gained mixed reviews for the same reasons that Garnett pointed out.
Beverley was a locker room leader for the Timberwolves last season and a big reason why the culture changed in Minnesota. Vanderbilt was a defensive presence who helped out in the paint, but according to Paul Pierce, that will be upgraded with Gobert’s arrival.
“[Gobert] is going to shore up their defense, now,” Pierce said. “They couldn’t defend. They had a hard time guarding Memphis in the fourth quarter. They kept getting locked down. Memphis scored every time down.”
Pierce also praised the evolution of Anthony Edwards, who is expected to make a huge leap in his third season. With Jaden McDaniels and D’Angelo Russell still on the roster, he believes the Timberwolves could jump into the upper tier of Western Conference playoff teams.
“I think it’s going to shore them up in the playoffs,” Pierce said. “I think they ain’t going to be no seven or eight seed. I think they could be a top-four seed now.”
Garnett agreed with Pierce’s assessment.
“I get it,” Garnett said. “I actually like the [Gobert] trade. They have someone that can change the whole mechanism of them.”
The analysis of the deal is almost over as the Timberwolves will open the season on Oct. 19 against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
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