Rudy Gobert supposedly turned down a max contract extension offer from the Utah Jazz recently because he was insisting on getting the supermax, but the two sides have reached a compromise.
Gobert told ESPN’s Tim MacMahon on Sunday that he has agreed to a five-year, $205 million extension with the Jazz. He called the contract an “incredible blessing.”
“It means that they believe in me,” Gobert said. “They believe in what we’ve been building over the years with this whole organization, with coach [Quin Snyder] and all the guys.”
Gobert was eligible to sign a supermax extension worth $228 million, which is the same contract Giannis Antetokounmpo signed with the Milwaukee Bucks last week. One report claimed Gobert was holding out for the supermax, but he claims that was not the case. The 28-year-old says he wanted to take less than the supermax to give Utah flexibility to build a championship contender around him and Donovan Mitchell.
Gobert is widely considered to be one of the best centers in the game. He’s an elite defender and became eligible for the supermax by being named the Defensive Player of the Year twice and making the All-NBA team.
Now that Gobert has signed an extension, the rumors of at least one team being interested in trading for him can go away.
