Rudy Gobert Trade Rumors: Should Rockets Make a Jazz Deal?
Rudy Gobert's season with the Utah Jazz ended a few days ago in disappointing fashion to the Dallas Mavericks after a hard-fought but frustrating six-game series.
Jerome Miron/USA Today Sports
Game 6 could have been the last time Rudy Gobert - bee sting and all - put on a Jazz uniform. If the French big man requests out of Salt Lake City this offseason, how does that affect the Houston Rockets?
The Rockets, who have held the league's worst record the past two seasons, aren't exactly considered to be a destination for Gobert, who wants to contend for a championship. But the Rockets hold one of the best trade chips the Jazz could find: a guaranteed top-five pick in this upcoming draft.
The team also holds a bevy of future picks from the Brooklyn Nets as part of the James Harden trade that could go to Utah in a hypothetical deal. And, the team could also throw starting center Christian Wood in the deal.
Wood, 26, is entering the final season of a three-year contract that is set to pay him just over $14 million this upcoming season.
Wood is expected to hit the trade block this upcoming offseason and his expiring contract could be enticing for teams in need of a center. If Gobert enters the market, then his value could fluctuate.
But, if the Rockets enter these discussions and pull off the deal, they could add a three-time Defensive Player of the Year to a team that finished dead last in defense this past season.
It would also push second-year pro Alperen Sengun to his more natural position as a power forward and allow him to create more as an offensive big man while having Gobert fill in on defense.
While the Rockets are still in rebuild mode, a shocking trade for Gobert could change the team's path completely while also filling in needs in areas the team needs the most.
