<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/timberwolves-news-rudy-gobert-reacts-french-connection-nba-draft');   ga('set', 'title', 'Rudy Gobert reacts to French connection in 2025 NBA Draft');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/IMG_1725.jpeg"><figcaption>Brad Penner-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Rudy Gobert reacts to French connection in 2025 NBA Draft</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-25T19:39:21-07:00">June 25th, 7:39pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-25T19:39:21-07:00">June 25th, 7:39pm</time><address><a>David Yapkowitz</a>David Yapkowitz is an NBA Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He is a credentialed reporter based in Los Angeles who covers the NBA/WNBA, NCAA/NCAAW and boys/girls high school basketball.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Minnesota Timberwolves</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Minnesota Timberwolves’ first selection of the 2025 NBA Draft came with the No. 17 overall pick which they used on Joan Beringer from France. With the selection of Beringer, the Timberwolves now have two players of French descent on the roster. Following the news that the Timberwolves had selected Joan Beringer in the first round of the NBA Draft on Thursday, Rudy Gobert took to social media to <a href="https://x.com/rudygobert27/status/1938057712786354498" rel="noopener">give his reaction</a> to the pick.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="art">🇫🇷🙏🏽🐺</p><p>— Rudy Gobert (@rudygobert27) <a href="https://twitter.com/rudygobert27/status/1938057712786354498?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 26, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>During his rookie season in the NBA with the Timberwolves, Beringer will get a golden opportunity to learn from one of the best centers in the NBA. Beringer gives the Wolves an intriguing option in the frontcourt. In the ABA with Cedevita Olimpija, he appeared in 30 games last season at a little over 18 minutes per game.</p><p>Beringer averaged 4.9 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.5 blocked shots with splits of 59.4 percent shooting from the field and 60 percent shooting from the free-throw line. He’s still raw and developing, but he has strong defensive instincts and ability, not unlike his new Wolves teammate. Rudy Gobert was the No. 27 overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz, and has become one of the premier defenders in the NBA.</p><p>It’s been a busy week for the Timberwolves leading up to the NBA Draft. The league recently <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/wnba/minnesota-lynx/lynx-news-alex-rodriguez-owner-timberwolves">approved the sale of the team to former MLB star Alex Rodriguez</a>. And over the weekend, before the Houston Rockets’ blockbuster trade to acquire Kevin Durant, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/timberwolves-rumors-brian-windhorst-claims-minnesota-on-verge-kevin-durant-trade">Wolves were reportedly very close to trading</a> for the 15-time All-Star.</p><p>This past season, the Timberwolves upset the Los Angeles Lakers in the opening round of the NBA Playoffs and dispatched the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference Semifinals, before being eliminated by the eventual champion Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals.</p><p>The team also has a busy free agency period on the horizon as well. Julius Randle and Naz Reid have player options on their contract while Nickeil Alexander-Walker is an unrestricted free agent.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Rudy Gobert reacts to French connection in 2025 NBA Draft

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/timberwolves-rumors-rudy-gobert-julius-randle-problem-kevin-durant-trade-talks');   ga('set', 'title', 'Timberwolves rumors: The Rudy Gobert, Julius Randle problem in Kevin Durant trade talks');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Kevin-Durant-1.jpg"><figcaption>© Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><h1>Timberwolves rumors: The Rudy Gobert, Julius Randle problem in Kevin Durant trade talks</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-23T14:30:50-07:00">June 23rd, 2:30pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-23T15:03:52-07:00">June 23rd, 3:03pm</time><address><a>Scotty White</a>Scotty White is a graduate of the University of Michigan and has been in the sports journalism industry since 2020. He has covered athletics at the University of Michigan and is now serving as an Associate Editor, Chicago Bulls beat writer, and Michigan football reporter at ClutchPoints.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Minnesota Timberwolves</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Minnesota Timberwolves are clearly becoming one of the best teams in the Western Conference as Anthony Edwards almost led the squad to the NBA Finals this year. The Timberwolves aren’t going anywhere, and it looked like they might bring in a big addition this offseason as <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/nba-rumors-timberwolves-playing-hardball-in-kevin-durant-trade">rumors about a Kevin Durant trade</a> grew loud recently.</p><p>However, those hopes were officially squashed on Sunday when Durant landed with the Houston Rockets.</p><p>Not too long ago, all of the chatter surrounding a Kevin Durant trade was centered around the Timberwolves. Minnesota tried to go for it at the trade deadline, but the team backed away <a href="https://hoopshype.com/lists/nba-intel-kevin-durant-trade-rockets-suns-heat-timberwolves-raptors-thunder-pacers-kings/" rel="noopener">after some concerns</a> reportedly surfaced.</p><p>“The Minnesota Timberwolves had multiple concerns about trading for Kevin Durant, which is partly why the 15-time All-Star didn’t land with the organization after making an aggressive pitch for him at the trade deadline,” a report from Hoops Hype states.</p><p>A big reason why the Timberwolves backed off is the fact that there were other destinations that were higher on Durant’s list. The Phoenix Suns were also reportedly targeting Rudy Gobert in trade discussions, and that had a big impact as well.</p><p>“The Timberwolves were concerned about trading for Durant when Minnesota wasn’t on his preferred list of destinations,” the report continued. “In addition, the Suns desired Rudy Gobert in trade talks, and losing their French defensive anchor to pair Julius Randle and Kevin Durant in the frontcourt together wasn’t seen as an ideal pairing defensively, HoopsHype has learned.”</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/kevin-durant-trade-offer-timberwolves-make-suns-seal-deal">The Timberwolves looked like a likely suitor</a> for Kevin Durant at one point, but he ended up with the Houston Rockets. Houston does seem like a good fit for Durant as the team did finish in second place in the Western Conference last season.</p><p>Will Durant be able to help get them over the hump, or will the Rockets be the latest ship to sink following the arrival of the unique superstar talent?</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Timberwolves rumors: The Rudy Gobert, Julius Randle problem in Kevin Durant trade talks

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/celebrity/rudy-goberts-ex-shares-cryptic-post-amid-breakup');   ga('set', 'title', 'Rudy Gobert’s ex shares cryptic post amid breakup');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Bruce-Kluckhohn-Imagn-Images.jpg"><figcaption>© Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Rudy Gobert’s ex shares cryptic post amid breakup</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-03T20:56:10-07:00">June 3rd, 8:56pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-03T20:56:10-07:00">June 3rd, 8:56pm</time><address><a>Autumn Hawkins</a>Autumn Hawkins is an Associate Entertainment Editor at ClutchPoints. She enjoys writing about music, lifestyle, film, and television. When she's not writing, she is trying the newest makeup trend, reading a romance novel, or planning her next trip. She is also a proud member of the BeyHive.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Celebrity</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Rudy Gobert’s ex is seemingly <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/timberwolves-rudy-gobert-breaks-up-with-pregnant-gf-before-western-conference-finals" rel="noopener">clapping back at the NBA star amid their recent split.</a></p><p>Julia Bonilla <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2025/06/02/rudy-gobert-ex-julia-bonilla-seemingly-shades-nba-star/" rel="noopener">shared a cryptic post</a> on Instagram, according to TMZ, that read: “You have every right to speak your truth—to share what happened and how it affected you. Their discomfort isn’t your responsibility. If they wanted to be seen in a better light, they should’ve treated you better.”</p><p>Bonilla and Gobert share a 1-year-old son, Romeo, whom she shared a photo of on her private account with the caption, “home, at peace and filled with love.”</p><p>Last month, Bonilla, who is pregnant with she and Gobert’s second child together, alleged that the Minnesota Timberwolves center kicked she and their 1-year-old out. In an additional post on Instagram, she reportedly shared a photo of suitcases with a caption that read, “Onto our next airbnb, again!”</p><p>Lastly, she reportedly shared another meme that read: “When you know you can destroy their image and narrative by telling your side of the story, but then you remember rotten fruit always falls on its own.”</p><p>After news surfaced that she and Gobert were breaking up, she <a href="https://x.com/realmnsportsfan/status/1923547031919862059/" rel="noopener">posted a message</a> on her Instagram Story about how “painful” the split is.</p><p>“I’m going through one of the most painful times in my life, feeling isolated, far from my family and friends,” she wrote, according to screenshots of her post circulating online. “I considered Rudy the love of my life. I left everything for him. I gave him a child and poured my heart into our relationship.”</p><p>She continued, “When everyone criticized and insulted him, I stood by him, always putting him first and choosing him, always. Despite how I have been treated, I choose to protect his name for the sake of my children. I have NEVER EVER been unfaithful to the father of my children. I am a mom and I must prioritize my health and well-being. Thank you for respecting my privacy during this challenging time.”</p><p>After their breakup went viral due to her messages online,<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/celebrity/rudy-gobert-breaks-silence-kicking-out-pregnant-girlfriend-rumor" rel="noopener"> Gobert spoke out about Bonilla’s allegations.</a></p><p>“A lot of inaccurate information out there…” Rudy wrote on his Instagram Story last month. “Julia and I are currently in the painful process of redefining our co-parenting relationship. Being a father is one of the most profound and meaningful experience I will get to live. It is one of my most important life purposes and will be so forever.”</p><p>He added, “I’m fully committed to keep supporting the well-being of all the people that I care about. I’m asking everyone to please refrain from speculating and to respect our privacy in these difficult times.”</p><p>Gobert has not commented on Bonilla’s recent Instagram posts at this time.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Rudy Gobert’s ex shares cryptic post amid breakup

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-lakers/lakers-trade-proposal-rudy-gobert-timberwolves-austin-reaves');   ga('set', 'title', 'Lakers trade proposal for Rudy Gobert lands coveted center at a steep price');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/746127448-lakers-trade-proposal-for-rudy-gobert-lands-coveted-center-at-a-steep-price.jpg"></figure><h1>Lakers trade proposal for Rudy Gobert lands coveted center at a steep price</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-06-01T08:10:52-07:00">June 1st, 8:10am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-06-01T08:12:47-07:00">June 1st, 8:12am</time><address><a>Bailey Bassett</a>Bailey Bassett is a sports writer from Denver, Colorado, covering major sports events and athlete backgrounds at ClutchPoints. He has experience covering and writing on high school, collegiate, and professional sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It is well known that the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/los-angeles-lakers/sources-lakers-extremely-active-trade-market-add-multiple-bigs">Los Angeles Lakers are desperate for a starting center</a>. The question is just how desperate are they? Now that the Minnesota Timberwolves have been eliminated from the Western Conference Finals for the second straight season, some have wondered if <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/timberwolves-news-this-1-play-exemplifies-rudy-gobert-brutal-thunder-series">Rudy Gobert will be put on the trade block</a>. The Timberwolves are no stranger to blockbuster deals, evidenced by their <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/grading-karl-anthony-towns-julius-randle-knicks-timberwolves-trade">trade for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo</a> that involved Karl-Anthony Towns last season.</p><p>Gobert is arguably the best center that the Lakers could trade for, but it could cost them Austin Reaves. Reaves has been mentioned in trade rumors leading up to the offseason, but he still had a breakout campaign this year, and trading him wouldn’t be easy.</p><h2><b>Lakers trade proposal for Rudy Gobert</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/746127443-rudy-gobert-lakers.jpg"><figcaption>Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p><b>Lakers receive: </b>Rudy Gobert, Josh Minott</p><p><b>Timberwolves receive: </b>Austin Reaves, Gabe Vincent, Maxi Kleber</p><p>The Lakers fleeced the Dallas Mavericks ahead of the NBA trade deadline when they <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/dallas-mavericks/mavericks-trade-grade-luka-doncic-anthony-davis-blockbuster">moved Anthony Davis for Luka Doncic.</a> The Slovenian guard should be one of the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/nba-top-100-player-rankings-2024-25-season">best players in the NBA</a> for the next decade-plus, whereas Davis, while talented, is past his prime and has struggled with injuries in recent years.</p><p>Despite how great that trade was for Los Angeles, it left the team without much center depth. They were forced to play Jaxson Hayes, a career backup, and forwards such as Rui Hachimura and Jarred Vanderbilt at the 5-spot during the playoffs. Ultimately, it led to their elimination in the first round against the Timberwolves.</p><p>Doing business with the team that just bested them in the playoffs wouldn’t be easy for the Lakers, but there might not be a better center option available, and LA needs to maximize LeBron James’ time in the league alongside Doncic before he retires.</p><p>Gobert has notably declined, evidenced by a 1.4 block<a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/players/g/goberru01.html" rel="noopener"> per game</a> average this past season. That mark was tied for Gobert’s worst since his rookie year. He is also incredibly limited on offense when it comes to his post-up game, ball-handling skills, and jump shot.</p><p>Even so, Gobert is still an elite defensive player. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/timberwolves-news-rudy-gobert-2023-24-nba-defensive-player-of-the-year">four-time Defensive Player of the Year</a> is still one of the best rim protectors in the NBA. Ultimately, the Lakers just need a big body who can take up space down low and collect rebounds.</p><p>Sacrificing Reaves for this role would be a tough pill for the Lakers to swallow. After all, the former undrafted guard broke out to the way of 20.2 points per game this past season. Reaves is arguably a better player than Gobert at this point, and he is certainly on a better trajectory. LA might just be desperate enough to consider this trade, though.</p><h2><b>Timberwolves’ Rudy Gobert plans after postseason loss</b></h2><p>The Timberwolves have seemingly hit a wall, as they’ve lost in the Western Conference Finals in two straight seasons. It will be hard to get past that wall because the team will most likely get worse this offseason.<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/ranking-nickeil-alexander-walker-free-agency-destinations-if-he-leaves-timberwolves"> Nickeil Alexander-Walker is an unrestricted free agent</a>, and Naz Reid and Julius Randle have player options on their contracts.</p><p>While Minnesota wants to bring back all of them, Alexander-Walker and Reid, in particular, seem destined to chase a bag on the open market. Trading Gobert would make bringing back one or more of those impending free agents easier. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/timberwolves-news-naz-reid-cryptic-update-future-wcf-loss">Reid seems hesitant about returning in a sixth-man role. </a></p><p>The unicorn of a big man who can dribble and shoot like a guard deserves a chance to start, and this proposed deal would open up a spot in the starting lineup in Minnesota. The Timberwolves also need guard depth and another player who can take the offensive load off Anthony Edwards’ shoulders. Reaves is more of a 2-guard, but he could start at point guard when Mike Conley inevitably retires.</p><p>Reaves is an elite shooter and has impressed as a ball handler and playmaker as well. The Oklahoma product put up big numbers last season, but he was even better when he didn’t have to share the floor with James and/or Doncic. He could break out into a legit superstar alongside Edwards in Minnesota. This move would see the Timberwolves trade a star center in back-to-back offseasons, which seems like a risky proposition, but Minnesota’s defense might be able to survive without Gobert. Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Jaylen Clark, and Alexander-Walker, if he returns to the team, are all elite point-of-attack defenders.</p><p>The Lakers made a move that depleted their center depth this year, but that deal was still worth it because they now have Doncic for the foreseeable future. The Timberwolves could feel the same way about making this trade for Reaves. If the move then led to Reid re-signing, Minnesota could finally break through and get into the NBA Finals next season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Lakers trade proposal for Rudy Gobert lands coveted center at a steep price

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/chicago-bulls/bulls-offseason-trade-proposal-for-rudy-gobert-after-timberwolves-loss');   ga('set', 'title', 'Bulls offseason trade proposal for Rudy Gobert after Timberwolves loss');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/746030698-bulls-offseason-trade-proposal-for-rudy-gobert-after-timberwolves-loss.jpg"></figure><h1>Bulls offseason trade proposal for Rudy Gobert after Timberwolves loss</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-05-29T13:50:28-07:00">May 29th, 1:50pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-05-29T13:50:28-07:00">May 29th, 1:50pm</time><address><a>Bailey Bassett</a>Bailey Bassett is a sports writer from Denver, Colorado, covering major sports events and athlete backgrounds at ClutchPoints. He has experience covering and writing on high school, collegiate, and professional sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Chicago Bulls</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Minnesota Timberwolves have been so close yet so far away two years in a row now. The team <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-shai-gilgeous-alexander-motivation-thunder-fans-game-5-win">lost in the Western Conference Finals</a> for the second straight season. After their loss last season, big changes were made in the offseason. The team<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/grading-karl-anthony-towns-julius-randle-knicks-timberwolves-trade"> traded Karl-Anthony Towns for Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo.</a> Even more drastic moves could come this go around, perhaps even a Rudy Gobert trade.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/timberwolves-news-rudy-gobert-2023-24-nba-defensive-player-of-the-year">Gobert is a four-time Defensive Player of the Year</a>, but he is also pricey, regressing, and offensively challenged. Many fans wanted the team to trade him last season instead of Towns. A full-blown rebuild seems unlikely in Minnesota, and a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/ranking-3-best-rudy-gobert-trade-destinations-timberwolves">trade of any kind involving Gobert</a> probably won’t happen.</p><p>It certainly isn’t out of the question, though, especially because the Timberwolves want to bring back Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Naz Reid, and Randle. The former of those players is an unrestricted free agent, and the latter two have player options on their contracts. So could a Gobert trade to the Chicago Bulls make sense?</p><h2><b>Bulls possible package to trade for Rudy Gobert</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/746030706-rudy-gobert-blocking-shai.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p><b>Bulls receive: </b>Rudy Gobert</p><p><b>Timberwolves receive: </b>Nikola Vucevic, Lonzo Ball, two second-round picks</p><p>The Bulls’ big three of Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Vucevic never worked out like it was supposed to. In fact, the trio only made the playoffs together one time. The team finally decided to blow it up, and the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/sacramento-kings/grading-kings-bulls-spurs-demar-derozan-trade">Bulls traded DeRozan</a> and LaVine to the Sacramento Kings in separate deals.</p><p>Nikola Vucevic likely isn’t far from being moved, either. Vucevic fits what the Bulls like to do. The team fires a lot of 3-pointers, and the Montenegrin is one of the best deep-ball shooters in the NBA.</p><p>However, he will be 35 years old next season, and he only has one year left on his deal. Additionally, Vucevic’s play has slipped in recent years, and the team could use a change of direction at the center position.</p><p>Gobert would certainly offer that for Chicago. While the big man is limited to put-backs and alley-oops on offense, he is still one of the best defense players in the league.</p><p>The Stifle Tower was down to 1.4 blocks per game last year, but he still has some gas in the tank as an elite rim protector. The Bulls need defensive help. Their roster has plenty of offensive-minded players, such as Coby White, Kevin Huerter, Josh Giddey, and Matas Buzelis. Gobert could help make up for any defensive shortcomings the team may have.</p><p>Even after this trade, the Bulls would still have tons of <a href="https://www.spotrac.com/nba/cap/_/year/2025" rel="noopener">cap space</a> to make another splashy move in free agency. As of now, Chicago is a ways away from competing, but they have the resources to make the moves that can get them back into the playoffs next year.</p><h2><b>Would the Timberwolves trade Rudy Gobert?</b></h2><p>It would come as a major surprise if the Timberwolves traded Gobert, especially considering that they traded their other center – Towns – last offseason. However, it isn’t completely unrealistic. As noted above, Gobert is on the downhill turn of his career. While still a great defender, he isn’t as dominant on that end as he once was.</p><p>Luckily for the Timberwolves, the team has plenty of other defensive stalwarts. Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Jaylen Clark, and Alexander-Walker are all elite on that end, but the team needs to give Edwards a little bit of help on offense. Vucevic is more of an offensive-minded big.</p><p>Additionally, the team might need to make space for Reid or risk losing the 25-year-old in free agency. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/timberwolves-news-naz-reid-cryptic-update-future-wcf-loss">Reid appears to be hesitant about returning to a Sixth Man role</a>, and this trade would open up a spot in the starting lineup for him if the Timberwolves were able to re-sign him.</p><p>On top of bringing back their own free agents, though, the Timberwolves desperately need point guard help. Mike Conley could retire at any given moment, and Rob Dillingham is the only other lead guard on the roster.</p><p>He just finished up what was an okay but uninspiring rookie season, and he is more of a score-first guard than a playmaker. Minnesota needs somebody who can get the rest of the players on the roster the basketball.</p><p>Lonzo Ball is one of the best playmakers in the NBA. Health has been an issue for him throughout his career, but he finally returned to action last season. With Giddey, another jumbo guard, on the roster, the Bulls don’t have much need for Ball anymore, but the Timberwolves could certainly use his services.</p><p>Considering the Timberwolves have so many potential free agents who they might lose on the open market, too, adding more depth in a two-for-one trade could make sense.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Bulls offseason trade proposal for Rudy Gobert after Timberwolves loss

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/ranking-3-best-rudy-gobert-trade-destinations-timberwolves');   ga('set', 'title', 'Ranking 3 best Rudy Gobert trade destinations if Timberwolves go nuclear');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Rudy-Gobert.png"><figcaption>David Gonzales-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Ranking 3 best Rudy Gobert trade destinations if Timberwolves go nuclear</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-05-29T09:50:13-07:00">May 29th, 9:50am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-05-29T09:50:13-07:00">May 29th, 9:50am</time><address><a>Rohan Brahmbhatt</a>Rohan Brahmbhatt is an adventure-driven sports writer, passionate footballer, mountaineer, and photojournalist. Rohan blends firsthand experience with storytelling—capturing the intensity of sport and the thrill of exploration. Whether on the field, a mountain trail, or behind the lens, he brings authentic, high-energy narratives that connect readers to the heart of the action.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Rudy Gobert’s performance in the Western Conference Final has received criticism from the majority of Minnesota Timberwolves fans. As a result, some of the fans are suggesting finding a suitable trade destination for the tall Frenchman. There is no doubt that the 32-year-old shotblocker still has some gas left in the tank, and the final few years before he calls it quits.</p><p>There is no denying that his <a href="https://dunkingwithwolves.com/rudy-gobert-is-crushing-the-timberwolves" rel="noopener">output on both ends of the court has declined</a> over the past few years. Nevertheless, irrespective of the numbers, he remains one of the experienced players on the team and a leader on the court. Gobert’s offensive output was not the only issue <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/timberwolves-news-julius-randle-promise-grieving-game-5-loss-hints-future">in the Timberwolves loss to the Thunder</a>; the whole team as a unit struggled to put up numbers on the board.</p><p>Gobert has always been a below-average offensive player for his career. His lack of offensive skills, poor ball handling in the paint, and touch around the rim are all the problems that have haunted him throughout his career. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/timberwolves-news-this-1-play-exemplifies-rudy-gobert-brutal-thunder-series">His impact at the offensive end is worrying</a>, and it might not come as a surprise if the Timberwolves decide to let him go.</p><h2><b>Rudy Gobert’s underwhelming performance in the West Final</b></h2><p>In the 2025 Western Conference Final against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Gobert impressed with his defensive numbers and acted as a defensive anchor for the team in a losing effort. Across the five-game series, Gobert averaged 10 points, 11 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.8 blocks per game.</p><p>Although the Timberwolves ultimately lost the series, Gobert’s numbers were marked by consistency, efficiency, and a reliable interior presence. If he could have just imposed himself strongly in the paint and motivated players around him who were beaten down and inferior to the Thunder players, the story might have been different.</p><p>On the defensive end of the court, Gobert averaged nearly two blocks per game and was a dominant presence at certain times. However, Chet Holmgren was dominating the field both in terms of offense and defense, which no Timberwolves player was able to contain. He was rushing to the glass, won a majority of the second balls, and blew away the defence of the Timberwolves, who looked tired and beat down in the final game of the series.</p><p>Gobert’s presence on the glass was also crucial; in Games 1 and 5, he pulled down 12 and 13 rebounds, many of which were contested. His best performance of the series was arguably in Game 3, where he recorded 12 points, 11 rebounds, and three blocks.</p><h2><b>Boston Celtics</b></h2><p>The Celtics are heading towards a transitional season and are on the verge of letting key players leave in order to build a stronger and younger core around Jayson Tatum. Gobert can be a very good addition to the team if they let go of Porzingis. Both teams could look for a straight swap, but considering the financial turmoil the Celtics find themselves in, this trade could be an unrealistic one, as Gobert has a heavy contract.</p><h2><b>Chicago Bulls</b></h2><p>The Bulls were interested in Rudy Gobert in 2022 and can again go for him in this offseason as the Timberwolves lost to the Thunder in the Western Conference Finals. The Bulls can send Nikola Vucevic the other way and get Gobert, who is a true defensive anchor, or continue to hover in NBA mediocrity.</p><h2><b>New Orleans Pelicans</b></h2><p>The New Orleans Pelicans are short of good centers on the team, and that’s where Gobert can fit in smoothly. With an injury-prone star like Zion, having Gobert behind him would be beneficial for the Pelicans. New Orleans has enough perimeter scoring to make it work.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Ranking 3 best Rudy Gobert trade destinations if Timberwolves go nuclear

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/timberwolves-news-rudy-gobert-anthony-edwards-scoring-struggles-overrated');   ga('set', 'title', 'Why Timberwolves’ Rudy Gobert thinks Anthony Edwards’ scoring struggles are overrated');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Edwards-is-fouled.jpg"><figcaption>Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Why Timberwolves’ Rudy Gobert thinks Anthony Edwards’ scoring struggles are overrated</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-05-28T10:14:20-07:00">May 28th, 10:14am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-05-28T14:00:01-07:00">May 28th, 2:00pm</time><address><a>Jackson Stone</a>Jackson Stone is a Mercer University senior from Atlanta on track to graduate with a BA in communications. A lifelong sports lover, Jackson is a die-hard fan of all Atlanta teams. He joined ClutchPoints in 2023.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Minnesota Timberwolves</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/timberwolves-news-minnesota-defiant-message-doubters-thunder">Minnesota Timberwolves are currently gearing up</a> for Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Timberwolves trail this series 3-1 after a crushing Game 4 loss Monday night, a game in which superstar <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/nba-stories/nba-news-charles-barkley-sends-savage-anthony-edwards-message-amid-face-league-buzz">Anthony Edwards was held</a> to just 16 points by the Oklahoma City defense.</p><p>From the jump in that game, it was clear that the Thunder were not going to let Edwards get the space to shoot that he enjoyed in his dominant Game 3 performance, so the star became more of a facilitator early on in Game 4, not taking his first shot attempt until several minutes into the game.</p><p>Ahead of Game 5, Timberwolves big man Rudy Gobert got 100% honest on why he felt that Edwards’ impact on the game <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1927769663330562358" rel="noopener">goes far beyond</a> his box score numbers.</p><p>“I thought he was great … A lot of people think basketball is just about scoring 30 every night, it’s not true,” said Gobert, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN on X, formerly Twitter.</p><p>Indeed, Edwards showed a willingness to slide into a facilitator role on Monday, and for the most part, it worked. The Timberwolves put an impressive 126 points on the board against the best defense in the NBA; conversely,  it was Minnesota’s inability to get stops or defensive rebounds that led to their demise in Game 4.</p><h2><b>A long road ahead for the Timberwolves</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Edwards-during-Game-4.jpg"><figcaption>Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Timberwolves now face the daunting task of having to win three straight games in order to advance past this series, two of which would be on the road in one of the NBA’s most hostile environments.</p><p>The Thunder organization has proven before that it has what it takes to blow a 3-1 Western Conference Finals lead, but the Timberwolves will have to play a lot better, particularly on defense and the glass, in order to extend this series to a Game 6 back in Minnesota.</p><p>Game 5 is slated for 8:30 PM ET from Oklahoma City and will be carried nationally by ESPN. If there is a Game 6, it would be on Friday evening.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Why Timberwolves’ Rudy Gobert thinks Anthony Edwards’ scoring struggles are overrated

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/timberwolves-news-rudy-gobert-shockingly-posterizes-isaiah-hartenstein-off-dribble');   ga('set', 'title', 'Rudy Gobert shockingly posterizes Isaiah Hartenstein off the dribble');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Rudy-Gobert-1.jpg"><figcaption>© Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Rudy Gobert shockingly posterizes Isaiah Hartenstein off the dribble</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-05-26T19:38:01-07:00">May 26th, 7:38pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-05-26T20:02:41-07:00">May 26th, 8:02pm</time><address><a>Scotty White</a>Scotty White is a graduate of the University of Michigan and has been in the sports journalism industry since 2020. He has covered athletics at the University of Michigan and is now serving as an Associate Editor, Chicago Bulls beat writer, and Michigan football reporter at ClutchPoints.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Minnesota Timberwolves</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/minnesota-vikings/vikings-news-justin-jefferson-supports-timberwolves-courtside">Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals is going down</a> on Monday night in Minneapolis, and it is shaping up to be an exciting finish. The Oklahoma City Thunder were dominant during the first two games of the series at home, but the Minnesota Timberwolves responded with a surprising blowout win in Game 3 to get a game back. Now, they are looking to even up the series, and Rudy Gobert threw down a <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1927187590504972413" rel="noopener">monsterous dunk</a> over Isaiah Hartenstein in the process.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">RUDY GOBERT THROWS IT DOWN OVER ISAIAH HARTENSTEIN 😱<a href="https://t.co/EhN4ckQt2N">pic.twitter.com/EhN4ckQt2N</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1927187590504972413?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>That dunk from Rudy Gobert made it a two-point game with about nine and a half minutes to go in the third quarter. This game has been a lot closer than the previous three.</p><p>After the first two games of this series, it looked like the Thunder were going to run away with things and potentially pull off a sweep. Oklahoma City was already a huge favorite coming into the series, and the team showed why.</p><p>Game 1 was dominated by the Thunder as it wasn’t close for a very long time, and Oklahoma City ended up pulling away to earn a 26-point win. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/timberwolves-news-anthony-edwards-jaden-mcdaniels-and-1-slam">The Timberwolves put up</a> a better fight in Game 2, but that one wasn’t very close either. It wasn’t as lopsided, but the Thunder still ended up winning by 15 points. Because of those games, the result in Game 3 was a major surprise.</p><p>The Timberwolves needed to take Game 3 as a 3-0 hole likely would’ve been impossible to overcome against a team like the Thunder. Minnesota answered the call and delivered its best performance of the playoffs, blowing the Thunder out by 42 points. That game was never close as the Timberwolves opened up a big lead in the first quarter and never looked back.</p><p>Game 4 hasn’t been anything like that, but the Timberwolves are still in position to get another win as it looks like this one is going to come down to the wire. An exciting finish would be a refreshing change of pace in this series as there hasn’t been a close game yet.</p><p>If the Timberwolves find a way to win this one, then we have a brand new series as it will be all tied up at two. If the Thunder win, they will be up 3-1 with the series shifting back over to Oklahoma City. This feels like a must-win game for Minnesota.</p><p>Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals between the Timberwolves and Thunder will go down on Wednesday at 7:30 CT from the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City. The game will be airing on ESPN.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Rudy Gobert shockingly posterizes Isaiah Hartenstein off the dribble

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/timberwolves-news-rudy-gobert-mercilessly-roasted-over-dribbling-routine');   ga('set', 'title', 'Rudy Gobert mercilessly roasted over dribbling routine before WCF Game 2');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Rudy-Gobert-stretching-out-arm.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Rudy Gobert mercilessly roasted over dribbling routine before WCF Game 2</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-05-22T19:02:11-07:00">May 22nd, 7:02pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-05-22T19:02:11-07:00">May 22nd, 7:02pm</time><address><a>Lorenzo J Reyna</a>Lorenzo J Reyna is an Associate Editor covering the NFL and NCAA Football for ClutchPoints. He's equipped with past experience for both realms through his recent stops at Pro Football Network and Heavy while also writing for 247Sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Minnesota Timberwolves</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Rudy Gobert showed a unique way of locking in for the Minnesota Timberwolves Thursday. Only fans roasted him over his dribbling routine ahead of the Western Conference Finals Game 2 showdown.</p><p>Gobert dribbled not one, but two basketballs. Unfortunately he lost control.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">ESPN takes us behind the scenes of Rudy Gobert’s ball handling routine 👀</p><p>(🎥 <a href="https://twitter.com/espn?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@espn</a> / h/t <a href="https://twitter.com/yubwrld?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@yubwrld</a> ) <a href="https://t.co/KOn0IT59UL">pic.twitter.com/KOn0IT59UL</a></p><p>— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheDunkCentral/status/1925714235310444614?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 23, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Fans quickly reacted by roasting the T-Wolves big man on X.</p><p>“Looks like he saw something on TikTok then wanted to try it out for the first time,” <a href="https://x.com/galileoferrari/status/1925724945872482738" rel="noopener">one fan posted on the website</a>.</p><p>Another fan ripped him for another reason.</p><p>“Can’t even finish a layup, maybe he should work on some post moves,” <a href="https://x.com/BronGotGame/status/1925714347252232640" rel="noopener">that fan shared</a>.</p><p>One more fan had reason to believe Gobert was channeling someone else: Stephen Curry.</p><p>“Dude thinks he is Steph Curry,” <a href="https://x.com/TheRealEvanHale/status/1925714393989251391" rel="noopener">the fan shared in looking at</a> Gobert’s ball-handling skills.</p><p>This is another moment of ridicule involving the star big man. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/timberwolves-news-anthony-edwards-sends-3-point-jab-rudy-gobert-resurfaced-clip">Gobert even got trolled for three-point shooting</a> in a resurfaced clip ahead of the WCF.</p><h2><b>Rudy Gobert struggled early in Timberwolves vs. Thunder battle </b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Rudy-Gobert-block-attempt.jpg"><figcaption>Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Mishandled pregame dribbles weren’t the only flaw from Gobert. Oklahoma City completely shut him down on the offensive end.</p><p>The big man settled for 17 total minutes of action in the first half. But Gobert scored zero in the first two quarters. He only took two shots throughout the first half.</p><p>Gobert showed his force on the rebounding end. He grabbed six rebounds to close out the first half. However, Anthony Edwards led Minnesota with seven boards.</p><p>The veteran center blocked one shot. The Thunder, though, took a 58-50 lead into halftime — and has Minnesota facing an 0-2 deficit in the NBA Playoffs.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/timberwolves-news-rudy-gobert-complains-lack-thunder-foul-calls">Gobert complained about the lack of Thunder foul calls</a> ahead of the second game of the WCF. But fans roasted him some more for his ineffective offensive play. <a href="https://x.com/Call_Me_Fost/status/1925725586850300392" rel="noopener">One fan called him</a> “useless” online <a href="https://x.com/NicoSaysThings/status/1925719620981338381" rel="noopener">while another dubbed him</a> “frustrating” during the second quarter.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Rudy Gobert mercilessly roasted over dribbling routine before WCF Game 2

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/los-angeles-lakers/starting-center-lakers-must-acquire-rudy-gobert-julius-randle-shaming');   ga('set', 'title', 'The starting center Lakers must acquire after Rudy Gobert, Julius Randle shaming');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_1566.jpeg"></figure><h1>The starting center Lakers must acquire after Rudy Gobert, Julius Randle shaming</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-05-21T18:18:00-07:00">May 21st, 6:18pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-05-22T10:16:16-07:00">May 22nd, 10:16am</time><address><a>David Yapkowitz</a>David Yapkowitz is an NBA Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He is a credentialed reporter based in Los Angeles who covers the NBA/WNBA, NCAA/NCAAW and boys/girls high school basketball.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Los Angeles Lakers</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Following the Los Angeles Lakers’ <a href="https://x.com/Lakers/status/1917804637908000938" rel="noopener">early playoff exit</a> against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the overwhelming consensus was they needed major help in the frontcourt.</p><p>Julius Randle had his way with the Lakers’ defense, and then Rudy Gobert put the exclamation point with a 27-point, 24-rebound performance in the closeout Game 5. To acquire a starting center, the Lakers are most likely going to need to make a trade.</p><p>Jaxson Hayes, who had been the Lakers’ starting center following the Anthony Davis trade, saw his role diminished in the playoffs leading to his eventual benching in Game 5. During a media availability session after the Wolves eliminated the Lakers, general manager <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/lakers-news-rob-pelinka-offseason-needs-luka-doncic-trade">Rob Pelinka acknowledged the team’s need</a> for a starting-caliber center.</p><p>The Lakers thought they had acquired one in Mark Williams, but the trade with the Hornets was rescinded after concerns arose about Williams’ health. With Luka Doncic in the fold, Williams would have been the perfect complement as a rim-running lob threat.</p><p>The free-agent market is scarce for what the Lakers need, but they don’t have much anyways in terms of available cap space to make a major splash in free agency. That’s why a trade is the best available means for the Lakers to acquire a starting center. And by some stroke of luck, that could come from a familiar face.</p><h2><b>Lakers trade for Daniel Gafford<br></b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_1567.jpeg"><figcaption>Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Perhaps the only thing that would have redeemed general manager Nico Harrison in the eyes of Dallas Mavericks fans, short of reacquiring Luka Doncic somehow, was to land the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. Lo and behold, that’s exactly what happened. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/mavericks-news-dallas-ceo-drops-epic-claim-on-hitting-nba-draft-lottery-jackpot">Beating the lottery odds, the Mavericks</a> will get the chance to select Duke’s Cooper Flagg as the franchise’s next star.</p><p>Now how does this affect the Lakers? Well it creates a bit of a logjam in the frontcourt for the Mavericks. Flagg can play both forward positions and is going to need playing time from the get-go. Anthony Davis will be back and will be healthy with a full training camp under his belt. And then the Mavericks have two starting-caliber centers in Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II.</p><p>It’s hard to envision the Mavericks trading Lively, whom they used a lottery pick on in 2023. That would potentially make Gafford expendable. And that’s where the Lakers come in.</p><p>After the fallout from the Doncic trade, it might be a little hard to see the Lakers and Mavericks working together again. But Harrison and Pelinka remain good friends. And business is business. Teams will do what’s best for them regardless of public perception.</p><p>That’s why the Lakers need to reach out and see what it would take to potentially pry Gafford away from the Mavericks. Gafford has familiarity with Doncic and thrived alongside him after the Mavericks acquired him at the 2024 trade deadline.</p><p>This past season, Gafford started 31 of the 57 games he played in. At a little over 21 minutes per game, he averaged 12.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.8 blocked shots while shooting 70.2 percent from the field and 68.9 percent from the free-throw line. He’d be the ideal complement to Doncic.</p><p>What the Lakers would have to give up is where things could get dicey. The Mavericks were widely panned for not getting enough in return for Doncic. An Austin Reaves for Gafford straight-up swap would work, and the Mavericks could presumably ask for the breakout guard in return. They do need help in the backcourt with Kyrie Irving rehabbing from his ACL injury.</p><p>But there’s no indication that the Lakers would consider moving on from Reeves even after his poor playoff showing. Another swap that would work would be the Lakers giving up an expiring contract like Gabe Vincent along with a promising young player in Dalton Knecht.</p><p>As evidenced by this past trade deadline, the Lakers have been willing to move Knecht, and he is one of the players on the roster with legit trade value.</p><p>But would Knecht and an expiring deal be enough in the eyes of the Mavericks and their fanbase? The ultimate question remains, would the Mavericks deal with the Lakers again after such backlash following the Doncic trade? Gafford is what the Lakers need in a trade for a starting center, and they should do their due diligence and reach out regardless.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

The starting center Lakers must acquire after Rudy Gobert, Julius Randle shaming

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/timberwolves-news-rudy-gobert-complains-lack-thunder-foul-calls');   ga('set', 'title', 'Timberwolves’ Rudy Gobert complains about lack of Thunder foul calls');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Rudy-Gobert-of-the-Minnesota-Timberwolves.jpg"><figcaption>Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Timberwolves’ Rudy Gobert complains about lack of Thunder foul calls</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-05-21T13:08:35-07:00">May 21st, 1:08pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-05-21T13:08:35-07:00">May 21st, 1:08pm</time><address><a>Benedetto Vitale</a>Benedetto Vitale is an avid sports writer who is an expert at covering the NFL, college football, NBA, and UFC. He graduated from the University of Oregon in 2016 with a film degree but has since dedicated his career to sports writing.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Minnesota Timberwolves</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/timberwolves-news-anthony-edwards-nsfw-message-himself-ugly-game-1-vs-thunder">Minnesota Timberwolves suffered a 114-88 Game 1 loss</a> to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals. It was a close contest in the first half, but OKC was just too much for Minnesota in the second half. Regardless, many have criticized the officiating crew for allegedly favoring Oklahoma City in the first game of the series. Center Rudy Gobert even blasted the officials for how they called the game.</p><p>During a post-practice interview with the media, the 32-year-old center claimed that the way the Thunder play defense <a href="https://x.com/mcten/status/1925270425052819711" rel="noopener">warrants more foul calls</a>, according to Dave McMenamin of ESPN. The Timberwolves star mentioned the issues he had with the officials several times during his talk with media members.</p><p>“I don’t expect to get calls. [The Thunder] are very handsy. There are things that aren’t going to get called… They’re relentless. We knew that, we know there’s grabbing, fouling, but we know that we’re not going to get all those calls. We have to play through that consistently. We cannot let the missed calls or missing shots disrupt us from going into the next play and doing what we’re supposed to do.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Rudy Gobert said the Thunder’s defense consistently causes contact that should be a foul, but the Wolves have to play through it. Gobert reiterated the point several times during his post-practice remarks Wednesday. <a href="https://t.co/NRWmMwCSK2">pic.twitter.com/NRWmMwCSK2</a></p><p>— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) <a href="https://twitter.com/mcten/status/1925270425052819711?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 21, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>In retrospect, the Thunder only had five more free-throw attempts as a team than the Timberwolves. Oklahoma City finished Game 1 with 26 free throw attempts while Minnesota had 21. So, although the calls felt lopsided, it was more even in the game than many believe.</p><p>One reason that so many individuals <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/oklahoma-city-thunder/thunder-news-insider-reveals-text-nba-official-mocking-wcf-game-1-officiating">complained about the calls the Thunder were getting</a>, including Rudy Gobert, was largely due to Shai-Gilgeous Alexander. Of the 26 attempts from the charity stripe, the 26-year-old point guard shot 14 of them. Additionally, there appeared to be several instances where Gilgeous-Alexander would move in a way that made it seem as though he was fouled when, in actuality, nobody touched him at all.</p><p>The Timberwolves can only control what they do on the court. Both Rudy Gobert and Anthony Edwards struggled in Game 1, which played a part in Minnesota’s demise in the second half. Gobert wasn’t much of a factor at all, as he ended the contest with just two points, three rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block through 21 minutes of play.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Timberwolves’ Rudy Gobert complains about lack of Thunder foul calls

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/timberwolves-news-anthony-edwards-sends-3-point-jab-rudy-gobert-resurfaced-clip');   ga('set', 'title', 'Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards sends 3-point jab at Rudy Gobert in resurfaced clip');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Gobert-Edwards.jpg"><figcaption>Petre Thomas-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards sends 3-point jab at Rudy Gobert in resurfaced clip</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-05-19T20:08:23-07:00">May 19th, 8:08pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-05-19T20:08:23-07:00">May 19th, 8:08pm</time><address><a>Richard Pereira</a>Richard Pereira joined ClutchPoints in January 2025 as an Associate Editor. He earned his degree from Florida Atlantic University in 2023 and has been covering the school's athletic programs since 2020, having served as a Sports Editor at the FAU University Press. He was granted the unique opportunity to report on the men's basketball team's journey to the Final Four in Houston for FAU Owls Nest during March Madness, consistently striving to grow as a sports journalist.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Minnesota Timberwolves</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert have enjoyed their time together as <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/timberwolves-news-anthony-edwards-rudy-gobert-game-of-thrones-dragon">teammates on the Minnesota Timberwolves</a>. But there is one thing from the latter that will get the former in disbelief.</p><p>Since Gobert entered the NBA in 2013, he has attempted 18 3-pointers throughout his career, including the playoffs. Of those tries, he wasn’t successful on any one of them.</p><p>While the Timberwolves were preparing for the start of the 2024-25 season in October, Edwards <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1924652391166509424" rel="noopener">had a hilarious declaration</a> about the chance Gobert finally makes one from downtown in a game.</p><p>“Mark that today… If Rudy [Gobert] shoots a three in a real NBA game, I’m walking off the court,” Edwards said.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">“Mark that today… If Rudy [Gobert] shoots a three in a real NBA game, I’m walking off the court.”</p><p>— Anthony Edwards 😂</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/BleacherReport?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BleacherReport</a> / TT)<a href="https://t.co/P7CVM95ouo">pic.twitter.com/P7CVM95ouo</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1924652391166509424?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 20, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><h2><b>What lies ahead for Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Gobert-Edwards-2.jpg"><figcaption>Matt Krohn-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>It will be interesting to see Rudy Gobert make the first 3-pointer of his entire career. It will also be worth seeing if Anthony Edwards follows through with his declaration to walk out of the game if it happens.</p><p>Until then, the Timberwolves have higher goals in mind. They are getting ready for a big series against the one-seed Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals, competing to represent the West in the 2025 NBA Finals.</p><p>Minnesota has impressed throughout their postseason run. They stunned the Los Angeles Lakers in five games and took care of business against a Golden State Warriors squad that missed Stephen Curry in five games. This allowed them to return to the West Finals for the second consecutive season.</p><p>Edwards and Gobert are directly responsible for giving the Timberwolves the best success they have ever seen since the early 2000s. But there is one important goal: having the team reach the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history. Accomplishing that feat alone will cement them in the record books among the team’s best in history.</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/editorials/3-reasons-timberwolves-upset-thunder-western-conference-finals">Timberwolves will be on the road</a> when they face the Thunder in Game 1. The contest will take place on May 20 at 8:30 p.m. ET.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards sends 3-point jab at Rudy Gobert in resurfaced clip

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/celebrity/rudy-gobert-breaks-silence-kicking-out-pregnant-girlfriend-rumor');   ga('set', 'title', 'Rudy Gobert breaks silence on kicking out pregnant girlfriend rumor');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/%C2%A9-Cary-Edmondson-Imagn-Images.jpg"><figcaption>© Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Rudy Gobert breaks silence on kicking out pregnant girlfriend rumor</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-05-18T05:41:11-07:00">May 18th, 5:41am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-05-18T05:41:11-07:00">May 18th, 5:41am</time><address><a>Autumn Hawkins</a>Autumn Hawkins is an Associate Entertainment Editor at ClutchPoints. She enjoys writing about music, lifestyle, film, and television. When she's not writing, she is trying the newest makeup trend, reading a romance novel, or planning her next trip. She is also a proud member of the BeyHive.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Celebrity</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Minnesota Timberwolves’ star Rudy Gobert is debunking rumors about his relationship.</p><p>Gobert went to his Instagram Stories on Friday, May 16, to tell his followers that while he is no longer in a romantic relationship with his girlfriend Julia Bonilla, they are figuring out their new normal.</p><p>“A lot of inaccurate information out there…” Rudy wrote on his Instagram Stories on May 16. “Julia and I are currently in the painful process of redefining our co-parenting relationship. Being a father is one of the most profound and meaningful experience I will get to live. It is one of my most important life purposes and will be so forever.”</p><p>He added, “I’m fully committed to keep supporting the well-being of all the people that I care about. I’m asking everyone to please refrain from speculating and to respect our privacy in these difficult times.”</p><p>Gobert and Bonilla share a son, Romeo, and she is reportedly pregnant with their second child. The two began dating in early 2024.</p><p>“I’m going through one of the most painful times in my life, feeling isolated, far from my family and friends,” she wrote according to <a href="https://twitter.com/realmnsportsfan/status/1923547031919862059/" rel="noopener">screenshots</a> of her post circulating online. “I considered Rudy the love of my life. I left everything for him. I gave him a child and poured my heart into our relationship.”</p><p>Bonilla was last spotted with Romeo on April 13 when they watched Gobert play. It’s unclear what transpired between the two during that time to cause a breakup but the social media personality stresses that there was no infidelity on her part despite how she’s “been treated.”</p><p>She continued, “When everyone criticized and insulted him, I stood by him, always putting him first and choosing him, always. Despite how I have been treated, I choose to protect his name for the sake of my children. I have NEVER EVER been unfaithful to the father of my children. I am a mom and I must prioritize my health and well-being. Thank you for respecting my privacy during this challenging time.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Posted to Julia Bonilla's instagram story about an hour ago: <a href="https://t.co/PhxgWm8oKR">pic.twitter.com/PhxgWm8oKR</a></p><p>— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) <a href="https://twitter.com/realmnsportsfan/status/1923547031919862059?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Neither party has addressed Gobert allegedly kicking Bonilla and their son out. She also has yet to respond to Gobert’s post publicly and has since made her Instagram page private.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Rudy Gobert breaks silence on kicking out pregnant girlfriend rumor

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/timberwolves-rudy-gobert-breaks-up-with-pregnant-gf-before-western-conference-finals');   ga('set', 'title', 'Timberwolves’ Rudy Gobert breaks up with pregnant GF before Western Conference Finals');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Minnesota-Timberwolves-Center-Rudy-Gobert_d6a0b0.jpg"><figcaption>Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Timberwolves’ Rudy Gobert breaks up with pregnant GF before Western Conference Finals</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-05-16T17:48:46-07:00">May 16th, 5:48pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-05-16T17:50:01-07:00">May 16th, 5:50pm</time><address><a>Zachary Howell</a>Zachary Howell is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints focusing on creating premier MLB content. He is a big fan of the Yankees, Oklahoma City Thunder and the Syracuse Orange. In his free time, he likes to be outside or read.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Denver Nuggets</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Minnesota Timberwolves punched their ticket to the Western Conference Finals on Wednesday. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/timberwolves-news-anthony-edwards-rudy-gobert-western-conference-finals">The Timberwolves finished off the Golden State Warriors</a> with a 121-110 win in Game 5. Unfortunately for the team, the rest they get before the beginning of the next round is no longer drama free, thanks to Rudy Gobert.</p><p>News broke on Friday that Gobert and his girlfriend, Julia Bonilla, split up. The Timberwolves center told Bonilla, who is pregnant with a second child, to leave their home and take their son, one-year-old Romeo, with her. The breakup <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2025/05/16/rudy-gobert-breakup-julia-bonilla-move-out-of-home/?adid=social-tw" rel="noopener">came as a shock</a> to wives and girlfriends of Minnesota players, according to TMZ.</p><p>According to TMZ’s sources, Bonilla planned on going back to her home country, France, after the breakup. However, Gobert wants her and his son to stay in America until the Timberwolves’ playoff run is complete. The French center has already gotten his lawyers involved in an effort to keep Bonilla in the country.</p><p>Gobert’s breakup is a surprise, especially after the couple spent time together with their child throughout the NBA season. Bonilla even went out of her way to defend Gobert when The Athletic’s player poll revealed that <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/timberwolves-news-rudy-gobert-nba-most-overrated-player">Gobert is the most overrated player in the league</a>.</p><p>The four-time Defensive Player of the Year wants to focus on his team’s playoff run. However, the fallout of his breakup has a dark cloud hovering around his team.</p><p>The Timberwolves await the winner of the Oklahoma City Thunder-Denver Nuggets series in the Western Conference Finals. The team made it to the Conference Finals in back-to-back seasons, and they want to take one step further this time around. Gobert has a big role to play in getting them to the Finals for the first time in franchise history.</p><p>Gobert has declined comment on the ongoing situation, but his breakup is something to watch this summer. For now, he and his team will try to maintain their focus on the court.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Timberwolves’ Rudy Gobert breaks up with pregnant GF before Western Conference Finals

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/timberwolves-news-draymond-green-gives-rudy-gobert-props-while-making-championship-declaration');   ga('set', 'title', 'Draymond Green gives Timberwolves’ Rudy Gobert props while making championship declaration');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Draymond-Green-and-Rudy-Gobert-on-May-14-2025.jpg"><figcaption>Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Draymond Green gives Timberwolves’ Rudy Gobert props while making championship declaration</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-05-15T07:34:59-07:00">May 15th, 7:34am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-05-15T07:35:44-07:00">May 15th, 7:35am</time><address><a>Zachary Weinberger</a>Zachary Weinberger joined ClutchPoints in October 2023 as a Miami Heat reporter as well as an Associate Editor. He graduated from Florida Atlantic University in 2022 after covering the school's athletic programs since his freshman year at the FAU University Press, where he was a Sports Editor and Editor-in-Chief. He then covered FAU Sports for The Palm Beach Post.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Golden State Warriors</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>As the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/timberwolves-news-anthony-edwards-julius-randle-handshake-embrace-game-5-victory">Minnesota Timberwolves eliminated the Golden State Warriors</a> from the NBA Playoffs, some fans were shocked to hear some of Draymond Green’s comments after Game 5 on Wednesday night. While the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/timberwolves-news-even-steve-kerr-impressed-western-conference-dominance">Warriors were overall impressed by the Timberwolves</a>, some would specifically give props for how they dominated the series, especially Green, who even shouted out Rudy Gobert.</p><p>Golden State would win Game 1 of the series, but Minnesota would come around and take the next four games, taking advantage of the injury to Stephen Curry that kept him out for most of the duration. However, Green would say that the Timberwolves have a <a href="https://x.com/cjzero/status/1922893022167011435" rel="noopener">“real shot”</a> at winning the title this season, rattling off names of their pieces, even Gobert, as the two have had confrontations in the past.</p><p>“They got a chance, they got a real shot at it,” Green said via video from X, formerly Twitter, user @cjzero. “So I think they got a real shot at it when you got two dynamic, and then they got all the pieces right, like they got Naz, it’s coming off the bench. Jaden McDaniels is a hell of a young player, Rudy, a four-time defensive player. Mike Conley and his experience, Dante flying around, and defending the shooting. They got pieces, you know, so it’s just not one or two guys, they got a real team. And so I think they got a real shot at it.”</p><h2><b>Warriors’ Draymond Green praises Timberwolves’ Julius Randle </b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Draymond-Green-and-Julius-Randle-on-May-14-2025.jpg"><figcaption>Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>As the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba/minnesota-timberwolves/timberwolves-news-anthony-edwards-delivers-hungry-message-after-eliminating-warriors">Timberwolves are hungry on the path</a> to their second straight conference finals, the Warriors fell at the hands of a surging Minnesota team. One player that caught the eye of Green was Julius Randle, who led with 29 points in Game 5 to cap a great series.</p><p>“Anytime you got a number two, that can just go get it. You give yourself a chance at the…to go make it happen and get a ring,” Green said. “And like I said, the way Julius [Randle] has been playing, since he came back from the injury by the way, it ain’t just started, the way he’s been playing since he came back from his injury, he’s been lights out. So I have no doubt that he’ll continue to play that way. He’s aggressive as hell, and he’s gonna go after it, he’s got that mindset, always had that mindset, and it’s clicking for him.”</p><p>Even Golden State head coach Steve Kerr would speak on how <a href="https://x.com/ohnohedidnt24/status/1922876489256587527" rel="noopener">“incredible”</a> he’s been against them, as he averaged 25.2 points in the series.</p><p>“Julius Randle was incredible. What a series,” Kerr said via video from X user @ohnohedidnt24. “He’s always been a really good player in this league. I think he has taken a leap. I remember playing here early in the season, and it looked like a tough fit. They didn’t have the spacing … They missed (Karl-Anthony) Towns. Fast forward to now, he’s 13 for 18, he was incredible the whole series. We couldn’t stop him.”</p><p>All in all, Minnesota awaits the winner of the Oklahoma City Thunder/Denver Nuggets matchup for an eventual Western Conference Finals series, looking to make their first NBA Finals.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
11.0	10.4	1.8	1.5	0.7

2024-25 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
11.0	10.4	1.8	1.5	0.7

Rudy Gobert news

Rudy
Gobert news