Bulls offseason trade proposal for Rudy Gobert after Timberwolves loss
The post Bulls offseason trade proposal for Rudy Gobert after Timberwolves loss appeared first on ClutchPoints.
The Minnesota Timberwolves have been so close yet so far away two years in a row now. The team lost in the Western Conference Finals for the second straight season. After their loss last season, big changes were made in the offseason. The team traded Karl-Anthony Towns for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo. Even more drastic moves could come this go around, perhaps even a Rudy Gobert trade.
Advertisement
Gobert is a four-time Defensive Player of the Year, but he is also pricey, regressing, and offensively challenged. Many fans wanted the team to trade him last season instead of Towns. A full-blown rebuild seems unlikely in Minnesota, and a trade of any kind involving Gobert probably won't happen.
It certainly isn't out of the question, though, especially because the Timberwolves want to bring back Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Naz Reid, and Randle. The former of those players is an unrestricted free agent, and the latter two have player options on their contracts. So could a Gobert trade to the Chicago Bulls make sense?
Bulls possible package to trade for Rudy Gobert
Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports
Bulls receive: Rudy Gobert
Advertisement
Timberwolves receive: Nikola Vucevic, Lonzo Ball, two second-round picks
The Bulls' big three of Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Vucevic never worked out like it was supposed to. In fact, the trio only made the playoffs together one time. The team finally decided to blow it up, and the Bulls traded DeRozan and LaVine to the Sacramento Kings in separate deals.
Nikola Vucevic likely isn't far from being moved, either. Vucevic fits what the Bulls like to do. The team fires a lot of 3-pointers, and the Montenegrin is one of the best deep-ball shooters in the NBA.
However, he will be 35 years old next season, and he only has one year left on his deal. Additionally, Vucevic's play has slipped in recent years, and the team could use a change of direction at the center position.
Advertisement
Gobert would certainly offer that for Chicago. While the big man is limited to put-backs and alley-oops on offense, he is still one of the best defense players in the league.
The Stifle Tower was down to 1.4 blocks per game last year, but he still has some gas in the tank as an elite rim protector. The Bulls need defensive help. Their roster has plenty of offensive-minded players, such as Coby White, Kevin Huerter, Josh Giddey, and Matas Buzelis. Gobert could help make up for any defensive shortcomings the team may have.
Even after this trade, the Bulls would still have tons of cap space to make another splashy move in free agency. As of now, Chicago is a ways away from competing, but they have the resources to make the moves that can get them back into the playoffs next year.
Would the Timberwolves trade Rudy Gobert?
It would come as a major surprise if the Timberwolves traded Gobert, especially considering that they traded their other center – Towns – last offseason. However, it isn't completely unrealistic. As noted above, Gobert is on the downhill turn of his career. While still a great defender, he isn't as dominant on that end as he once was.
Advertisement
Luckily for the Timberwolves, the team has plenty of other defensive stalwarts. Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Jaylen Clark, and Alexander-Walker are all elite on that end, but the team needs to give Edwards a little bit of help on offense. Vucevic is more of an offensive-minded big.
Additionally, the team might need to make space for Reid or risk losing the 25-year-old in free agency. Reid appears to be hesitant about returning to a Sixth Man role, and this trade would open up a spot in the starting lineup for him if the Timberwolves were able to re-sign him.
On top of bringing back their own free agents, though, the Timberwolves desperately need point guard help. Mike Conley could retire at any given moment, and Rob Dillingham is the only other lead guard on the roster.
He just finished up what was an okay but uninspiring rookie season, and he is more of a score-first guard than a playmaker. Minnesota needs somebody who can get the rest of the players on the roster the basketball.
Advertisement
Lonzo Ball is one of the best playmakers in the NBA. Health has been an issue for him throughout his career, but he finally returned to action last season. With Giddey, another jumbo guard, on the roster, the Bulls don't have much need for Ball anymore, but the Timberwolves could certainly use his services.
Considering the Timberwolves have so many potential free agents who they might lose on the open market, too, adding more depth in a two-for-one trade could make sense.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBS News
19 minutes ago
- CBS News
Runners from across the country to partake in Bank of America 13.1 Half Marathon in Garfield Park
Thousands of runners are gearing up for the fourth annual Bank of America Half 13.1 Marathon on Sunday morning on Chicago's West Side. Those taking part will give it their all as they put feet to pavement in Garfield Park. The marathon draws people from all over the city, state, and country. Last year, some international participants participated. Runners will have a unique experience of the city's West Side neighborhoods. The course weaves through our historic parks and boulevards, starting and finishing in Garfield Park with some scenic loops through Humboldt and Douglass Parks. Organizers say their goal is to support and advance health and wellness on Chicago's west side, with a chance to showcase local businesses on the city's West Side. Map of the Bank of America 13.1 Marathon Runners will head south on Independence to Douglass Park and then back up through Jackson, eventually up Sacramento to Humboldt Park. The race kicks off at 7 a.m. with a Race Day Festival to follow at 8 a.m.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Today in Chicago History: Same-sex couples receive marriage licenses for the first time in Illinois
Here's a look back at what happened in the Chicago area on June 1, according to the Tribune's archives. Is an important event missing from this date? Email us. Here are Chicago's hottest days — with temperatures of 100 degrees or higher — on record Weather records (from the National Weather Service, Chicago) High temperature: 102 degrees (1934) Low temperature: 37 degrees (1993) Precipitation: 1.62 inches (1947) Snowfall: None 1924: WDAP radio station was renamed WGN by the Tribune in honor of the paper's slogan — World's Greatest Newspaper. The station broadcast from The Drake. Among WGN's first broadcasts was the Memorial Day 500-mile classic in Indianapolis. 1984: The Delta Air Lines complex opened at O'Hare International Airport. Consisting of a 391-foot addition to Terminal 3 and a 740-foot Concourse L, it was the first new passenger area constructed since the airport opened 22 years earlier. The project was part of a $1 billion modernization program. 2011: For the first time in Illinois history, gay and lesbian couples obtained civil unions. Many of the same rights married counterparts received — including sharing a nursing home room, visiting a loved one in a hospital, preventing those in the union from testifying against each other in court, funeral and end-of-life decisions, inheritance of property and certain employment-related benefits such as insurance — now applied to same-sex couples who were united in civil unions. Illinois became the sixth state to recognize civil unions or domestic partnerships for same-sex couples. Another five states and the District of Columbia already allowed gay marriage. 2014: Marriage licenses were available for same-sex couples for the first time in the state as part of the Illinois Religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act. The new law changed the definition of marriage in Illinois from an act between a man and a woman to one between two people. Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn put his signature on the historic measure in November 2013. The action made Illinois the 16th state to allow same-sex marriage, capping a 40-year push for gay rights that picked up major momentum during the previous decade. Subscribe to the free Vintage Chicago Tribune newsletter, join our Chicagoland history Facebook group, stay current with Today in Chicago History and follow us on Instagram for more from Chicago's past. Have an idea for Vintage Chicago Tribune? Share it with Kori Rumore and Marianne Mather at krumore@ and mmather@
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Cancer patients live 40pc longer after experimental treatment
Cancer patients given experimental treatment that programmes the body to attack rogue cells live 40 per cent longer, major research shows. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy is a form of immunotherapy where a patient's own T-cells – a type of white blood cell – are altered in a lab to target and kill cancer cells. The engineered cells are then reintroduced into the patient's bloodstream. CAR T-cell therapy works by genetically engineering a patient's T-cells to recognise and destroy cancer cells. T-cells are a type of white blood cell that can recognise and destroy foreign cells, including cancer cells, but because cancer is very good at evading immune detection, they often miss their mark. CAR T-cells are engineered to make them better at detecting cancer cells. The pioneering therapy had already been hailed by scientists as one of the most significant breakthroughs in treatment for its success in treating blood cancers. Now, new findings suggest it could also revolutionise treatment for solid tumours. Experts at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's (Asco) annual meeting in Chicago, the world's largest cancer conference, said the findings heralded 'a new generation of treatment'. Solid tumours represent roughly 90 per cent of all adult human cancers, including breast, lung and pancreatic cancer. Currently, over 650 CAR-Ts are in active development for a solid tumour indication. The new study – the first ever randomised controlled trial of CAR T-cell therapy in solid tumours – involved patients with advanced gastric or gastro-oesophageal junction (GEJ) cancer. Those given the radical treatment lived on average approximately 40 per cent longer than patients who received standard care, a clinical trial found. The results have been simultaneously published in the medical journal The Lancet. Dr Carl June, a leading expert on CAR T-cell therapy at the University of Pennsylvania, who was not involved with the trial, said the findings were 'groundbreaking'. He said: 'This is an exciting study showing the first positive results from a randomised trial testing CAR T-cells for a solid cancer.' In the trial, over 100 patients in China with advanced gastric or GEJ cancer were randomised to receive either CAR T-cell therapy or one of the standard-of-care medications. Patients who received CAR T-cell therapy lived an average of 7.9 months after randomisation, compared to 5.5 months with standard care. Patients receiving the designer immunotherapy also experienced 3.3 months without the cancer advancing, versus 1.8 months in the standard care group. The researchers, from Peking University Cancer Hospital and Institute in Beijing, said CAR-T-cell therapy 'showed a statistically significant improvement in progression-free survival and clinically meaningful improvement in overall survival'. The results suggest CAR T-cell 'could represent a paradigm shift' in care, addressing a crucial unmet need for some patients, they added. A second study on CAR T-cell led by the University of Pennsylvania and due to be presented at Asco on Sunday, suggested the approach could also be used to treat brain tumours. Results from that trial are expected to show CAR T-cell can shrink tumours in glioblastoma, a notoriously aggressive and fast-growing brain cancer, and help patients live much longer. Oncologists in Chicago said they were increasingly optimistic about the potential of the therapy to revolutionise treatment of solid tumours, after dramatic success with blood cancers. Dr John Haanen, of the Netherlands Cancer Institute, who will deliver a presentation on CAR T-cell therapy at the Asco meeting, said the breakthroughs suggest 'a new generation of treatment that wasn't there for medical oncologists before'. Dr Catherine Elliott, director of research at Cancer Research UK, said: 'CAR T-cell therapy – a highly personalised treatment that modifies a patient's own immune cells to recognise and destroy their cancer – has already shown success in treating some blood cancers, but it hasn't yet worked well for solid tumours.' She said it was 'encouraging' to see early signs that it might help those with advanced stomach or gastroesophageal junction cancer, who lived an extra two and a half months longer than those given standard care. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
