Rumors, contract, ambition: Rudy Gobert facing the most important season of his career

With all eyes on Giannis Antetokounmpo for weeks on end, and all the speculation about his future, Rudy Gobert’s situation has taken a back seat. And yet, the player and his franchise are at an impasse with less than a week of the start of the new NBA season. The international tricolor and the Jazz have until December 21 to initial a contract extension. But negotiations are at a standstill for now. With a disagreement on the price between the two parties.

All-Star, two-time winner of the best defenseman of the year trophy and member of the league’s third five in 2020, “Gobzilla” is eligible for the “super max”, or 35% of the Salary Cap. So he can theoretically sign the same contract as the Bucks’ double-MVP – who extended for $ 228 million over five years with the Bucks. And he claims it. Logically. Careers are managed individually. It is understandable that the 28-year-old, already a benchmark in his position, which is reaching its peak, is looking to sign the most onerous contract possible.

So far, officials in Salt Lake City have been a bit reluctant. They proposed the “classic” max, which represents 30% of the payroll. What Gobert and his representatives therefore refused. Time is counted. Both parties can easily pause the discussions. In this case, the native of Saint-Quentin will find himself free on the market next summer. With a dilemma for Jazz: transferring its interior during the season or taking the risk of losing it for no consideration in 2021?

Rudy Gobert has often shown his loyalty to Jazz and his desire to stay in Utah. Even if he doesn’t extend until Monday, he may like the city, the organization and its supporters enough to stay put after the season is over.

The context is not easy for the franchise and its management. Gobert is not a superstar in the true sense of the word. He’s not a constant threat on offense – even though he contributes with screens, cuts to the circle and almost 15 points per game. His offensive arsenal remains limited with the ball in hand and he is unable to create his own shot. The very definition of a star in this league. So hard to imagine it at the “super max.”

But at the same time, the French giant is absolutely essential to the success of his team. He’s the boss of defense, an Imperial anchor in the racquet, and a rebounding machine. Jazz cannot be satisfied with having Rudy as a second star to win a title. But she can’t win a title without him either. He is the most important player in the squad right now. In any case, as long as Quinn Snyder’s men practice the same basketball.

The “max” may even already be too large a sum for such an atypical player, but it is the price to pay to keep the best elements out of their first “real” contract (the one following the rookie contract). Franchises rarely have a choice: a top-30 basketball player always ends up having the max when only a handful of them are really able to take their training to the top. By offering more than 30 million to Gobert, Utah would find itself forced to bet on its duet with Donovan Mitchell to take the franchise as far as possible.

It’s still too tender and a bit light to claim better than a second round of the playoffs. But for a small market, this is already a great accomplishment. There is only one NBA crowned star each season, and twenty-nine “losers.” The Front Office can continue to try to build around the tandem, changing the pieces around. Or the leaders decide to sacrifice the former Choletais by replacing him with a player of the same profile less expensive… but obviously less strong. There is not a five position more effective than Gobert in protecting the circle in the championship.

Donovan Mitchell remains the centerpiece of the project. If the Frenchman has to be sacrificed, it is to build differently around the American rear. With money possibly invested to recruit a second offensive option to free him from creation – a role Mike Conley had to take on. One way or another, one can think that Mitchell will be associated with the decision of the leaders. A privilege that goes to the “franchise player.” The young star resented his teammate for weeks after their COVID-19 contamination last March. A relationship presented as “irreparable” at one point. But the tensions eventually subsided. The two men keep the same goal: to win. It helps strengthen ties.

If Rudy Gobert does not sign his extension by the 21st, it is highly likely that his name will circulate insistently in the flood of rumors throughout the season. Even more so if the Jazz skates past fifth place in the West – where the competition is terrible with the two teams from Los Angeles but also Denver, Portland, Dallas, etc. Atlanta, Brooklyn, Boston (which has a “trade exception” likely to absorb all his salary …) or Toronto can offer interesting packages for the pivot. It can be of interest to formations already armed with offensive talents but who are looking for a boss in defense.

But there are therefore five days left and the player’s camp like the Jazz can find an arrangement. A sum between the “max” and the “super max” with possibly bonuses able to inflate the total amount, a bit like the Heat did with Bam Adebayo. The evolution of the situation will be interesting to follow because it will finally say enough about the value and the perception of Gobert, the best French in the league, in the NBA.