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Prior to Sunday’s final game of the NBA regular season, the Minnesota Timberwolves’ blockbuster trade for center Rudy Gobert was already looking like one of the worst trades in NBA history.
Minnesota sent four first round picks, as well as 2022 first round pick Walker Kessler, in exchange for the Frenchman.
The deal seemed strange at the time. Yes, Gobert was a three-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year. But there were questions about his fit with Karl Anthony-Towns. He was largely a non-factor on offense. He turned 30 last June, and the haul was that which would normally be reserved for a bonafide superstar.
Little did we know that the trade would not only not work out, it would very quickly become glaringly bad for the Timberwolves.
Goberts scoring, rebounds and block numbers are all down from his last five seasons. His advanced metrics have fallen off a cliff, and he’s been involved in several heated incidents with his new teammates over his poor play.
One even led to the Timberwolves trading point guard D’Angelo Russell at the trade deadline. But that was only the start.
Kyle Anderson Trashes Rudy Gobert After Fight In Alleged Leaked Audio
Things took a turn for the worse on Sunday when Gobert threw a punch at teammate Kyle Anderson after a heated in-game altercation.
Gobert did not return to the game and posted an apology on Twitter.
Emotions got the best of me today. I should not have reacted the way i did regardless of what was said. I wanna apologize to the fans, the organisation and particularly to Kyle, who is someone that i truly love and respect as a teammate.
— Rudy Gobert (@rudygobert27) April 10, 2023
But it appears that means little to Anderson. Allegedly leaked audio from after the scuffle heard Anderson saying that Minnesota has a decision to make regarding Gobert this offseason.
A Timberwolves employee recorded audio of Kyle Anderson walking to the locker room after the Rudy Gobert incident:
“Y’all kiss his a** way too much, telling me to focus. Fu** is wrong with y’all? Y’all got a decision to make this summer.”
Thoughts? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/v5ZKPGyUST
— NBA Buzz (@OfficialNBABuzz) April 10, 2023
“Y’all kiss his a** way too much, telling me to focus. F*** is wrong with y’all? Y’all got a decision to make this summer,” Anderson allegedly said.
Gobert has three years and $130 million left on his contract. So there’s really not much Minnesota could do even if it wanted to do. But GM Tim Connelly might want to refresh his resume. Y’know, just in case.