Timberwolves + Rudy Gobert Contract Extension Rumors Heating Up Again

By Eric Strack |

Updated: Oct 18, 2024

Rudy Gobert, Minnesota Timberwolves — Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Timberwolves 2024-25 season will tip-off next week, after their backup crew was narrowly defeated by the Denver Nuggets starters on Thursday evening. Game one of the regular season is Tuesday vs the Los Angeles Lakers… at 9:00 PM.

So, get your sleep schedule right over the weekend. Get up late and stay up early. And who knows, your late nights over the next few days could come in handy. A lot of pro sports transactional news happens at night.

Over the next five days, while we wait for the Wolves opening matchup in LA on national TV, Minnesota Timberwolves fans should keep their antennas up for another big news regarding Rudy Gobert. No, it doesn’t appear another shocking trade is afoot. Quite the opposite, actually.

Rudy Gobert contract extension incoming?

According to Darren “Doogie” Wolfson (SKOR North, KSTP), it’s possible the Wolves and Gobert reach terms on a contract extension between now and tip-off Tuesday. In a conversation around why the Tim Connelly probably won’t make another splash trade, between now and then, Wolfson stopped to note that he still expects a contract extension for Rudy Gobert sometime soon.

Doogie says there is enough “chatter” behind the scenes that he wouldn’t be surprised if the deal is consummated before Tuesday. But either way, it sounds like the Wolves and Rudy’s Gobert’s camp are more than willing to work on his new deal during the season, too.

“I still think Rudy Gobert ends up signing a contract extension. Tuesday is not any sort of drop-dead deadline, although there has been enough chatter [between] the two sides, mutual interest. But they could get that thing done, you know, later in the season. There’s no hardcore deadline for Tuesday.”
Darren Wolfson – SKOR North

I know there are plenty of Minnesota Timberwolves fans out there who agree with Shaq. Those fans would rather let the 33-year-old Frenchman’s contract expire. Unfortunately for them, that is unlikely to happen.

Why would the Minnesota Timberwolves extend Gobert?

Instead, this new deal is expected to give Rudy tens of millions in new guaranteed money. In exchange, he’s expected to come down quite a bit from his current max deal. That should allow the Wolves more wiggle room and flexibility in the first apron of the luxury tax.

Rudy’s Gobert’s current contract calls for him to make $43.8 million this season. It also has a player option worth $46.7 million in 2025-26, which he would almost certainly opt into. He is the most expensive player on roster, now that Karl-Anthony Towns is gone. The first season of Anthony Edwards’ max extension will pay out $42.2 million this season.

This isn’t just a basketball thing. Look just across the street, where the Minnesota Twins were burning the midnight flame about 2.5 years years ago, when they signed Carlos Correa to a groundbreaking bridge deal in 2022. You know, before he failed multiple physicals an offseason later, and landed back in the Twin Cities long-term.