The New York Knicks made waves across the league last week when they acquired Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns via trade and sent back Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo as well as a future first-round pick in return.
It was a move that screamed that despite the fact that Minnesota went to the Western Conference Finals last season, the team may be open for business in the area of salary shedding. While it may be difficult to believe, Towns was not the highest paid player on the team, making $36 million in 2023-24 compared to $41 million for Rudy Gobert.
Andy Quach of PelicanDebrief entertained the possibility that as Minnesota begins to prepare for Anthony Edwards’ 5-year $260 million contract to kick in this season, they could look to unload Gobert as well, and the New Orleans Pelicans could be a prime destination for the veteran.
For one, as Quach points out, the fit in the lineup feels off with Gobert and Randle considering that Randle is a worse perimeter defender than Towns is, and Gobert is obviously one of the best defenders in the entire league. The Pelicans are in desperate need of an elite defender at the center position and have the money to bring Gobert in comfortably.
“A hypothetical trade would see Gobert headed to New Orleans in exchange for Brandon Ingram and salary filler, something like Yves Missi and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl,” Quach wrote. “That move would give the Pelicans are starting lineup of CJ McCollum, Dejounte Murray, Trey Murphy III or Herb Jones, Zion, and Gobert, a perfectly balanced group with plenty of offensive and defensive potential and the talent needed to compete for a title.”
Quach went on to claim that the addition of Gobert would potentially give the Pelicans the best defense in basketball, which would be difficult to argue against. Though it would be gut-wrenching for fans to see the team part with Brandon Ingram, the hypothetical lineup proposed is better equipped to compete for a title than what is currently in the building.
Last season, New Orleans was able to make the playoffs through the play-in tournament, but were quickly swept by the No. 1 seeded Oklahoma City Thunder. The team traded for Dejounte Murray over the summer in what was a very strong start towards competing in the West, but adding Gobert could potentially take this team to the next level.