Unhappy with Gobert’s cost? Minnesota Timberwolves got a discount

The Minnesota Timberwolves, believe it or not, landed the best NBA center possible via the trade route. That is not hyperbole. It’s simple fact. The latest ranking of the NBA’s best centers per Sportsnaut.com’s Andrew Buller-Russ listed the top NBA center as:

1. Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
2. Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
3. Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves
4. Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz
5. Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat

Neither the Denver Nuggets nor the Philadelphia 76ers would give any consideration to trading their center. And the Minnesota Timberwolves already hold the third-best center in the NBA. So the best target in the NBA for the center position is Rudy Gobert. To get him, the Minnesota Timberwolves would need to blow the Utah Jazz’s socks off. And they did.

We know what the Minnesota Timberwolves gave up. But just in case your mind has subsequently blocked that trade package out of your mind, let’s revisit that huge trade package.

Okay, so the players make the deal go, as their salary balance was necessary.

The Timberwolves gave up:

1. Walker Kessler – rookie center
2. Malki Beasley  – shooting guard
3. Patrick Beverly – point guard
4. Jarred Vanderbilt – power forward
5. Leandro Bolmaro – small forward

Now for the draft picks:

• 2023 first-round pick
  2025 first-round pick
  2027 first-round pick
  2029 first-round pick (Top-5 protected)
  2026 first-round pick swap.

Whew!

On paper, that appears to be quite a substantial amount, and it is. But before your brain shuts down at the sheer unfathomable cost for one player, center Rudy Gobert, let’s attack this from another direction. What did the Minnesota Timberwolves KEEP out of this trade?