Rudy Gone-bert

The Jazz begin their retooling by sending Monsieur Stifle to cover for Karl-Anthony Towns in Minnesota. In return, the Timberwolves send a whole bucket of picks.

Good morning. This is a special Saturday edition of Good Morning It’s Basketball. Let’s basketball.

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I recently critiqued Brian Windhorst’s chatter around Andrew Wiggins’ NBA Finals success and the concept of the “paycheck win” for the spendthrift Golden State Warriors.

Direct deposit doesn't win championships

I thought it was a bit too galaxy brain to, in a league where the luxury tax is truly punishing and the salary cap gets a little bit more rigid with every new collective bargaining agreement, credit Joe Lacob’s wallet over the Warriors’ smart roster-building decisions and Wiggins’ development into just what Golden State required.

Little did I know that Windhorst wasn’t giving us a fraction of a percent of the true, honest, legitimate galaxy brain he was hiding in Omaha. He unleashed more of that Friday morning in an instant classic First Take segment.

“What’s going on in Utah?” Brian Windhorst asks conspiratorily Friday morning on national TV during a conversation about, uh, the Brooklyn Nets.

Hours later, Woj answered his question:

Adrian Wojnarowski @wojespn

Utah is trading Rudy Gobert to Minnesota, sources tell ESPN.

The package the Timberwolves sent to Utah for the best defensive center in the NBA is simply enormous: 2022 first-round pick Walker Kessler and four future first-round picks, three of which are unprotected and one of which (in 2029!) is top-five protected. PLUS … Malik Beasley, Patrick Beverley, Jarred Vanderbilt and Leandro Bolmaro. Three rotation players, a project player, a guy picked No. 22 last week, three unprotected firsts and a top-5 protected first.

For Rudy Gobert and only Rudy Gobert, who is 30 and owed $170 million over the next four years. To pair with 6’11 Karl-Anthony Towns, now basically a full-time power forward (except when Rudy sits). And of course, Anthony Edwards, the real straw that stirs everyone’s drink in Minnesota.

Minnesota ended up with a league average defense last season through some scheme magic and a bit of smoke and mirrors. They should exceed that next season, though it’s going to be fascinating to see them face opponents who can go small in the playoffs, should they become playoff mainstays in this new era. It’s an absolutely enormous mortgage to put on Gobert — three unprotected picks from a team that has made the playoffs twice since 2004?! — and it’s a brand new front office leader, Tim Connelly, pulling the trigger. Just fascinating on so many levels. And yes, potentially catastrophic.

What’s going on in Utah? Indeed. This is being framed as Danny Ainge and friends collecting assets to flip for a new core to put around Donovan Mitchell. Or … is this an opening salvo, after the midseason Joe Ingles trade and Thursday’s pre-implosion Brooklyn trade sending Royce O’Neale to the Nets for a pick? Is Mitchell next? Are the Jazz going to get down to where OKC is, or even lower?

I don’t think that’s immediately likely — as I’ve recently mentioned for other reasons, All-Star Weekend is coming to Salt Lake City in 2023, barring a late shift.

The NBA's next big question: All-Star 2023

If the Jazz are remotely competitive — and they did add some productive players back in this move — Mitchell will be a potential All-Star. The franchise probably doesn’t want to bottom out right this second with those practical concerns looming.

Tony Jones @Tjonesonthenba

League sources: For now, there are no plans by the Utah Jazz to trade star guard Donovan Mitchell. The Jazz are committed to building around him. The Jazz are not done in trade talks. Expect more activity

But next summer? You either flip these picks and risk the same thing Minnesota is risking, or you acknowledge that Mitchell is going to spend his prime elsewhere. You aren’t waiting to use Minnesota’s picks in 2027 and 2029 to add players around Mitchell, who will be in his 30s by then. You prepare to flip some or all of the assets for a star within two years, or you get out of the Donovan Mitchell business.

Whatever the case, I know who I’m going to be watching when he opens his mouth about the Jazz.

ArtButMakeItSports @ArtButSports

‘Windhorstradamus’

The Only ESPN-Related Clip More Powerful Than All That

Incredible monologue from Elle Duncan here.

Elle Duncan @elleduncanESPN

Where my #GirlDad ‘s at?

I’m going to sit with this one for a bit, but not just sit with it. We can’t.

More Moves

The Celtics move a strong move to address the perceived issue around more traditional offensive point guard skills, bringing in Malcolm Brogdon in a deal for Aaron Nesmith, a 2023 first and Daniel Theis. Is Brogdon going to be a sixth man in Boston? Is Al Horford heading to the bench with Jaylen Brown sliding up to small forward? It’s easy to forget how many minutes Dennis Schroder got for the C’s last season; this is a serious upgrade in that department.

Zach LaVine re-signed with the Bulls on a 5-year, $215 million deal. I sensed a little consternation over the fact that this wasn’t announced at 6 PM on Thursday. Now Chicago can relax. Well, sort of. They need to get better, not just stay the same!

The Hawks flipped Kevin Huerter to the Kings for Justin Holiday, Mo Harkless and a protected first. I like the deal for Sacramento — running a Fox-Sabonis battery, you need more shooting — and it’s smart for Atlanta to start prioritizing getting back some draft capital after the Dejounte Murray deal.

Kevon Looney is staying with the Warriors, and Donte DiVincenzo is joining the champs, too. But Otto Porter Jr. decamped to Toronto.

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Back on Monday. Be excellent to each other.