The Minnesota Timberwolves agreed to a new contract with veteran center Rudy Gobert, according to a recent report by ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Reportedly, Gobert inked a new three-year, $110 million extension. In order to facilitate the extension, he rejected his $46.6 million player option for the 2025-26 season. The new deal also contains a player option and a trade kicker.
While Gobert gave up a higher annual salary, he received long-term security. On the other hand, the Timberwolves now have space cap flexibility to retain key role players.
Gobert confirmed the agreement in a chat with reporters, describing it as a “win-win situation.”
“I’m happy here. My family is happy here. I want to win a championship here, and also, my next year’s contract was really high,” said Gibert. “So [it was] about to allow the team to keep our guys, and also that was the win for the Timberwolves, but to keep me for a longer term was great for both of us. And also just giving me more stability long term, I think, was what we were looking for.”
Rudy Gobert joined the Timberwolves in 2022 in a blockbuster trade from the Utah Jazz. While his first season with the franchise was rocky at best, Gobert proved to be a key piece for the Minnesota team that finished the 2023-24 regular season with a 56-26 record and advanced to the Western Conference Finals.
Gobert averaged 14.0 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game last season while winning his fourth NBA Defensive Player of the Year award. He scored 13 points and had 14 rebounds in the Timberwolves’ 2024-25 season opener against the Los Angeles Lakers.
