The Rudy Gobert trade was a focal point in the Anthony Edwards era. The Minnesota Timberwolves knew they had a generational level star on their hands, so they went out and got him some high-level help in the form of a top-notch defensive anchor and rim protector. Everyone has their opinion of Gobert, but the 2023-24 season is all the proof you need that he raised the ceiling of this group.
It was that season that helped put to rest many of the naysayers that claimed the Gobert trade was the worst in history and other such ridiculous claims. But recently, another way of viewing the trade has come to light among the fanbase. Obviously, when the Wolves made this blockbuster trade, there were a lot of draft picks given over to the Utah Jazz. And at the time, many were not exactly thrilled with that fact.
In my opinion, draft picks are overrated to begin with. General Managers are captivated by them because they could turn into a good player. When in reality, established guys that have proven they can play in this league are almost always more valuable than picks. It's literally the Family Guy "mystery box" meme.
The Timberwolves have drafted far better than the Jazz since the trade
But then when we step back to look at the players the Timberwolves and Jazz have selected in the two drafts since the Gobert trade, we actually see that Minnesota has had a lot more success drafting good players than Utah, even with a much smaller collection of picks at their disposal.
The Wolves have selected Jaylen Clark, Rob Dillingham and Terrence Shannon Jr. over the last two drafts, and each guy has shown legitimate promise of becoming a long-term rotation guy in Minnesota. Meanwhile, the Jazz have drafted six players in that same stretch - Brice Sensabaugh, Keyonte George, Taylor Hendricks, Kyle Filipowski, Isaiah Collier and Cody Williams - with George being far and away the best player of the group.
It would be hard to say that Utah has had greater draft success than Minnesota since the Gobert trade went down - and that is with them having twice the opportunities to select players. The Timberwolves may have given away a lot of draft capital in that trade, but this is yet another reason it would be hard to say they are in a worse position, short or long term, than the Jazz.