Asked today during a media session about the possibility of signing Rudy Gobert to a contract extension in the coming weeks, Jazz executive VP of basketball operations Dennis Lindsey declined to offer any specifics, but suggested the team would be happy to get something done.
“We don’t comment on past, present or future negotiations, but we love Rudy,” Lindsey said, per ESPN’s Tim MacMahon (Twitter link). “We want Rudy to be here for the rest of his career.”
Tony Jones of The Athletic, who has said repeatedly that Gobert and the Jazz are actively discussing a new contract, reiterated that point today (Twitter link).
Gobert is eligible to sign an extension anytime before he reaches free agency during the summer of 2021, though if the Jazz are willing to give the All-Star center a super-max deal starting at 35% of the cap (which seems unlikely), they’ll have to get it done by December 21.
Here’s more on the Jazz:
- Lindsey said today that the Jazz’s decision to bring back Derrick Favors in free agency was motivated by feeling undersized defensively last season against teams with multiple big men, such as the Lakers (Twitter link via Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune).
- Bojan Bogdanovic‘s recovery from wrist surgery is progressing well, according to Lindsey, who said the team will decide in about a week whether the veteran forward is ready to progress to contact workouts (Twitter link via Walden).
- Addressing Utah’s decision to use the No. 27 pick in the draft on Udoka Azubuike, Lindsey said the team took the “best player available” route (Twitter link via Walden). The Jazz’s analytics models ranked the former Kansas center as the second-best prospect in the draft, while the club’s scouts ranked him in the top 10, Lindsey added.
- Tony Jones of The Athletic provides a training camp primer for the Jazz, discussing Gobert’s contract situation, Donovan Mitchell‘s new extension, and the club’s goal of getting back into the top 10 for overall team defense in 2020/21.
My ranking from best to worst
Blazers
Jazz
Nuggets
Mavs
I think it will be revese. Mavs above them.
Sillivan, if you would be so kind as to inform us of Goberts ‘values’ that would be great thanks!
Compare to Tobias Harris
5 year 180 million with team option IMO
Gobert is all time great defender
Jazz is a small market
Small market needs to pay a little more
5th year team option
If a player is 26 + Years old
Value is based on what he has done，not what he will do
What? Value is what a player will do for you
which small market did tobias harris sign his contract with? 36 mil avg annual salary is an over pay for him in philly. his contract should of been in the 20-25 mil range. then the small market for gobert would be 30 mil tops annually.
I have some serious questions about how they thought Udoka was the second best prospect.
Like what exactly?
maybe they meant center prospect.
Utah didnt learn from Tony Bradley that those types of bigs aren’t whats in today? They should have picked the kid from Minnesota.