NBA off-season 2022: Rudy Gobert 'expected' to be traded to the Chicago Bulls
Synopsis
According to NBA Insider Matt Moore, Rudy Gobert is expected to be heading to the Windy City.
According to NBA Insider Matt Moore, League officials are "expecting" Rudy Gobert to be in Chicago Bulls by the end of the off-season. The Utah Jazz is considering trading its defensive anchor and starting afresh with young guard Donovan Mitchell. The Jazz has made six straight Playoffs appearances. However, it last made a Conference Finals in 1998. With long-time head coach Quin Snyder gone, the Jazz may look to trade away its center and hope the assets it gets help it make a deeper Playoffs run. Replacing Gobert will be no mean feat, though, as the Frenchman has been one of the defenders in the league since being drafted in 2013.
The Bulls, who are expected to re-sign free-agent all-star Zach Lavine, want to surround All-stars Demar Derozan and Zach Lavine with Gobert's defensive presence. In a trade, the team would likely have to part ways with Nikola Vucevic, Coby White, and Patrick Williams. With a defence that would consist of Alex Caruso and Lonzo Ball, Gobert could be the favourite for his fourth Defensive Player of the Year [DPOY] award.
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Gobert is one of four players with at least 3 DPOYs and could tie leaders Dikembe Mutumbo and Ben Wallace with another trophy. In a recent podcast, Insider Matt Moore said, "Chicago at 18…no surprise, they're trying to stockpile assets for the Gobert trade. By the way, the expectation around the league is that Gobert is going to go to Chicago. That's what I've heard."
There have been rumblings about a Gobert trade since the end of the Jazz's NBA 2021-22 season. A few weeks ago, Bleacher Report insider Jake Fischer reported Chicago's interest in Gobert as he said, "The Bulls remain invested in finding the optimal frontcourt lynchpin to pair with LaVine and DeRozan. Sources said that Chicago continues to explore the trade market for two-time All-Star center Nikola Vucevic. It has registered interest in Rudy Gobert."
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