Report: Rudy Gobert, Timberwolves reach $110M extension on NBA’s opening night

Rudy Gobert and the Minnesota Timberwolves have agreed to a three-year, $110 million contract extension, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports.

News of the deal broke just minutes before the Timberwolves opened their season Tuesday against the Los Angeles Lakers. The deal secures Gobert’s services in Minnesota through the prime of his career as he starts his third season with the Timberwolves.

Gobert, 32, arrived in Minnesota during the 2022 offseason via a stunning trade with the Utah Jazz. The Timberwolves parted with a package that included four first-round draft picks to acquire Gobert on a roster that already featured an established All-Star center in Karl-Anthony Towns.

Towns slid over to power forward as the Timberwolves ran with two bigs on their frontline and eventually developed into a contender in the West with the ascension of Anthony Edwards. After earning the No. 3 seed and advancing to the Western Conference finals last season, it was Towns who ended up the odd man out.

The Timberwolves traded Towns to the New York Knicks this offseason for a package that featured Julius Randle, leaving the post as Gobert’s alone in Minnesota’s starting lineup.

Gobert remains one the game’s most dominant defensive forces and earned his fourth Defensive Player of the Year award last season while averaging 14 points, 12.9 rebounds, 2.1 blocks and 0.7 steals per game.