Rudy Gobert will be in Minnesota for the foreseeable future,.
The reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year has agreed to a three-year extension worth up to $110 million, a source confirmed to the Pioneer Press. ESPN was the first to report the deal.
Gobert had a $45 million player option for next season, which he’ll decline for this extension to kick in next season. That means Minnesota will save a significant amount of money toward next year’s salary cap.
Meanwhile, Gobert — who turned 32 over the summer — cashed in again as he moves toward his mid-30s. The Frenchman is still near the peak of his powers, as proven by his play last season, and all reports ahead of Tuesday’s season opener in Los Angeles were that Gobert looked good physically in training camp.
Big, physical centers do often see their play decline as they move into their mid-30s, but Gobert does have the physique of an outlier, and even if he drops off from his current status as one of the NBA’s premier defenders, $35 million per season is now well below a max-level contract, meaning he won’t encumber the Timberwolves’ salary cap situation.
And without Karl-Anthony Towns on the roster, Minnesota’s roster is more versatile to evolve with and around Gobert in the years to come.
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