Timberwolves Officially Acquire Rudy Gobert, Kyle Anderson and Bryn Forbes

The Minnesota Timberwolves made official last Wednesday afternoon the acquisition of three-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert, on Friday morning the signing of key veteran swingman Kyle Anderson, and today the signing of sharpshooter Bryn Forbes.

“Super exciting day for the organization. It’s not often you get a player of Rudy’s caliber, and more importantly, a person of Rudy’s caliber,” Wolves President of Basketball Operations said in his opening statement during Wednesday’s introductory press conference. “This guy is about as good as it gets as a professional. His work ethic is second to none, his desire to win is elite. To add him to an already strong young core is a special day.”

Gobert, 30, comes to Minnesota by way of a trade with the Utah Jazz that saw Patrick Beverley, Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt, Leandro Bolmaro, the draft rights to 2022 No. 22 overall pick Walker Kessler, unprotected first-round picks in 2023, 2025 and 2027, a first-round pick swap in 2026, and a top-five protected pick in 2029.

“I’m excited to be here with some very talented young players. Obviously KAT is a tremendous player,” Gobert said during his introductory press conference on Wednesday. “I can’t even imagine all the things we’re going to be able to do on the floor and all the great things I’m going to do in the community to make Minnesota a great place. So thank you guys. I’m really excited.”

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The Saint-Quentin, France native is a four-time All-NBA member, three-time All-Star, six-time member of the NBA’s First Team All-Defense, and has led the league in field goal percentage in each of the last two seasons. Gobert also led the league in rebounding in 2021-22. Widely regarded as the league’s best rim defender and an elite rebounder, Gobert is under contract for the next three seasons, and has a player option for the 2025-26 season.

“I think he’s the perfect fit at the perfect time for our organization. It’s not often you to add somebody who brings such a level of professionalism and maturity and experience alongside a young core, who fits seamlessly into what we need and what we need most,” Finch said Wednesday afternoon. “I know the excitement is building among the teammates in the group chat. The relationship between Karl and Anthony and D-Lo and those guys are only going to get stronger and stronger. It’s going to be fun to watch, fun to nurture.”

Read more about Gobert’s fit here and how he’ll help the Wolves win the possession battle here. For podcasts about the Gobert trade, check out our podcasts page.

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Anderson was signed to a two-year, $18 million fully guaranteed contract last Friday morning after a strong showing in 2021-22 for the Memphis Grizzlies, especially in the playoffs where his defensive versatility shined. At 6-foot-9, 230 pounds, “Slow Mo” capably defended the 2-5 positions at different points in the playoffs, created for others off the bounce, and rebounded well. The former UCLA standout held averages of 7.6 points on 44.6/33.0/63.8 shooting splits, 5.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.8 stocks in 21.5 minutes per game across 69 contests.

He was signed using the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, and his contract will have cap hits of $8.8 million in year one and $9.2 million in year two, according to our friend Dane Moore. This leaves the Wolves with $1.69 million of MLE money to work with, which could be used to sign Josh Minott to a multi-year deal similar to the Jaylen Nowell and Naz Reid contracts.

Grizzlies beat writer Chris Herrington of The Daily Memphian joined the Dane Moore NBA Podcast to talk all things Canis Hoopus superstar Kyle Anderson a couple weeks ago.

Forbes joins the Wolves on a one-year, veteran’s minimum contract with a cap hit of $1,836,090 according to KSTP’s Darren Wolfson, and will look to fill the shooting void left behind by Beasley’s inclusion in the Gobert trade. Wolves President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly acquired Forbes in a mid-season trade last season when he was running the Denver Nuggets. The former Michigan State star is a career 41.3% 3-point shooter. You can read more about Forbes’ fit in Minnesota here.