Report reveals Jazz stance toward Rudy Gobert trade

Feb 24, 2020; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) warms up before the game against the Phoenix Suns at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports

The Utah Jazz will be the subject of significant focus this offseason after another disappointing playoff exit. However, a new report suggests changes may not be as wholesale as some others have suggested.

The Jazz have “no designs” on entering into a rebuild, according to Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report. The team is willing to support a contender, and view it as hugely important that they send multiple players to the 2023 All-Star Game, which will be held in Salt Lake City.

To that end, a Rudy Gobert trade is seen as relatively unlikely, according to the report. Moving the center would be counterintuitive when Utah is seeking to upgrade defensively. More realistically, Bojan Bogdanovic, Mike Conley, and Royce O’Neale are viewed as complementary pieces the Jazz could look to replace.

The Jazz are clearly committed to Donovan Mitchell, and with rumors of discord between him and Gobert, many speculated the center would be made available. There is some reported interest in him already, and more would likely surface if Utah actively shopped him. For now, though, that does not seem to be on the table.