Rumors: Dallas Mavericks could trade for Rudy Gobert this offseason

The Dallas Mavericks knocked out the Utah Jazz in the first round of the playoffs in six games. The series ended with Bojan Bogdanovic missing a 3-pointer that would have sent the series to Game 7, and the miss likely ended this version of the Jazz. Trading Rudy Gobert will be a prevalent rumor this offseason as Utah looks to build a title contender around Donovan Mitchell.

The Mavs are rumored to be interested in acquiring Gobert, and ESPN’s Tim MacMahon reported the big man would like to play with Luka Doncic. The three-time Defensive Player of the Year has four years and $169.6 million left on his contract, so finding a workable trade will not be easy, but the Mavericks are expected to be aggressive if Gobert hits the trade block.

Utah’s current situation following their third first-round playoff exit in the last four years was discussed on the Hoop Collective podcast on April 29, and ESPN’s Tim Bontemps believes the Mavs could acquire Gobert this summer.

Rumors: Dallas Mavericks could trade for Rudy Gobert this offseason

Utah is in a difficult spot. They want to jump into title contention, but the Jazz need to make a significant trade to make that a reality. Utah wants to build around Donovan Mitchell, but trading Gobert is going to destroy their defense. How can Utah deal the three-time Defensive Player of the Year, and still take a step forward?

Bontemps said the following quote about the Mavericks' chances of acquiring Rudy Gobert this offseason.

"Dallas being motivated to go after him, I think is going to give them a real shot. I just don’t the market is going to be as robust as it should be, and I think even if they just come in with a bunch of picks and want to take him, that could allow the Jazz to flip those picks and money into other stuff. That might be the way this happens, and if somebody aggressively goes after Rudy, I think they got a real shot at him."

Bontemps noted that Gobert is undervalued, and he stated that pairing him with Luka Doncic makes the Mavericks title contenders. Dallas needs a rim protector and pick and roll partner for their 23-year-old superstar. Gobert is one of the best in the league at both, and he could easily take his game to another level playing for the Mavericks.

Will the Dallas Mavericks trade for Rudy Gobert this summer? When there is smoke, there’s fire. Gobert is likely to be on the block and rumors suggest the organization will make a strong offer to acquire him. Stay tuned to see if a deal gets done.