Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports
Raptors Considered Favorites to Land Rudy Gobert, Vegas Says
Does Vegas know something?
It wasn't all that long ago that Vegas surprisingly listed the Toronto Raptors as the next landing spot for Kawhi Leonard ahead of the eventual DeMar DeRozan deal back in 2018. Suddenly, Vegas seems to think the Raptors are the favorites to land Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert, listing the organization at even odds to make a deal, according to mybookie.ag.
The Raptors are even listed ahead of the Jazz as Gobert's most-likely team for next season. They're followed by the Dallas Mavericks, Atlanta Hawks, New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets, and Golden State Warriors, respectively.
Despite the odds, Toronto still seems like a highly unlikely landing spot for Gobert. It would require the Raptors to move at least one member of the core just to make the salaries match, allowing Toronto to take on the remaining four years of his five-year, $205 million contract.
The Raptors have also shown no interest in acquiring a traditional center and have repeatedly said they're looking for players who fit their system.
"If we can’t find them, we’ll develop them. That’s what we’re hoping," said Raptors president and vice-chairman Masai Ujiri during his season-ending media availability.
While Gobert is certainly one of the league's best interior defenders, he lacks the kind of versatility Toronto so highly values and doesn't quite fit the offensive profile the Raptors have gone after in recent years.
If Utah does move on from Gobert this summer, the best bet isn't on Toronto being his next home.
Further Reading
Raptors explain how the Thad Young deal changed Toronto's draft board
