These players are all upcoming free agents with some sort of connection to Rudy Gobert.
The Minnesota Timberwolves acquired the now four-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert in the summer of 2022—and it didn’t take long for the Wolves brass to bring in Gobert’s former teammates. Halfway through the 2022-23 season, Minnesota traded for Mike Conley Jr. and Nickeil Alexander-Walker.
Although the Timberwolves rid themselves of their third-leading scorer and top assist man, D’Angelo Russell, acquiring Conley and Alexander-Walker played a large part in Minnesota’s rapid ascension to the Western Conference Finals.
After the Timberwolves’ deep playoff run, winning the offseason is integral for continued success. Despite a severe lack of salary cap space, several quality free agents will likely ink minimum deals. Whether it be age, championship aspirations, or ties to a former teammate or coach, players are sometimes willing to take less if the scenario is ideal.
Below, we’ve identified five of these candidates—specifically players with ties to Gobert. The Frenchman has spent 11 years in the NBA, thus his ex-teammate pool is vast. The following free-agent fits are optimal due to the Wolves’ positional needs and potential low-value contracts they’ll accept.
5. Joe Ingles
Longtime Utah Jazz forward Joe Ingles has played 533 games next to Gobert, more than anyone else on the list. Of course, the extensive amount of floor time Ingles has seen directly correlates with his advanced age. At 36 years old, the Australian forward is the oldest player on the list.
Even though Ingles is closer to 40 than to 30, his game shouldn’t see too steep of a decline. The 6-foot-9 wing’s game has never been predicated on athleticism. For instance, throughout 10 professional seasons, Ingles has only recorded 23 dunks.
The 36-year-old forward is a high-IQ sharpshooter who holds his own on the defensive end. This past season, Ingles averaged a mere 4.4 points per game, but he shot 43.5 percent from beyond the arc. Other than his marksmanship, Ingles chipped in 3.0 assists per game in just over 17 minutes of action.
Prior to his lone season in Orlando, Ingles had consistently knocked down multiple threes per game and averaged near or above 10 points per game. If not for the Aussie’s torn ACL he suffered in 2022, his game may not have changed at all.
While expecting a soon-to-be 37-year-old Ingles to average 12 points and five assists is outlandish—contributing around six points, three assists, and a three-pointer is reasonable. Adding a connective passer who can drill an open triple would be a wonderful addition to the Wolves’ reserve unit.
4. Gordon Hayward
Perhaps a forgotten duo, Gordon Hayward and Gobert shared the court for 250 games. The pair’s paths crossed from 2013 to 2017. At the time Utah drafted the 7-foot-1 big, Hayward was coming into his own.
In Gobert’s first full season as a contributor, Hayward averaged 19.3 points per game. However, after two additional stellar seasons in Utah, the Butler product signed a four-year, $128 million pact with the Boston Celtics.
Unfortunately, as most NBA fans vividly remember, Hayward’s inaugural campaign was cut short after just five minutes of action. The 6-foot-7 wing broke his tibia and dislocated his ankle. Following the catastrophic injury, Hayward’s career never resumed his once-All-NBA progression.
Hayward hasn’t appeared in more than 52 games this decade and famously flamed out with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Despite the arduous journey, Hayward is easily worth a one-year “prove-it” deal. The one-time All-Star may command more than the veteran’s minimum, but after not scoring a single point in the playoffs, Hayward will likely settle for less.
Plus, at 34 years old, Hayward’s next destination will presumably be a contender. With a lack of wing depth and an absence of secondary creators, Minnesota makes sense. If free-agent Kyle Anderson decides to sign elsewhere, Hayward’s inclusion makes even more sense.
At this stage in his career, a lower-volume sixth-man role fits Hayward’s capabilities. He hasn’t shown the durability to play big minutes, thus giving the former Jazz star about 20 minutes per game is fitting.
3. Nicolas Batum
Nicolas Batum is the only player on the list to not play alongside his fellow countryman in the NBA. However, Batum and Gobert first shared the floor in 2014—playing for France in the FIBA World Cup. Since then, the duo have shared the court for numerous FIBA and Olympic events.
While Batum’s NBA career may not last much longer, he remains a serviceable addition to any squad. This past season, the 6-foot-8 forward appeared in 60 contests and averaged 5.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game. He also knocked down 39.5 percent of his triples.
Although his stats were pedestrian, he was a valuable contributor on both ends of the floor. Batum’s game even elevated in the playoffs. The French forward saw his minute, point, rebound, and three-point makes increase in six postseason appearances.
Like Ingles, Batum is a solid three-point shooter and connective passer. In addition to passing and spot-up shotmaking, the lanky wing is a talented defender. At 6-foot-8 with a 7-foot-1 wingspan, Batum can effectively defend three positions despite his age.
This past season, Batum’s opponents shot two percent worse when defended by the veteran wing. And like his counting stats, Batum’s defense was also better in the postseason. He limited his matchups to an 11 percentage point decrease on field goal attempts.
It’s all but likely Batum will spend the rest of his career on one-year deals. Why not join the best French player on a contending team? As a versatile forward, Batum’s fit in Minnesota feels picturesque—especially as an Anderson replacement.
2. Royce O’Neale
A younger, less physically gifted alternative to Batum—Royce O’Neale might land the most expensive deal of players on the list. The 6-foot-4 forward is younger than the previously mentioned players, but he’s by no means a spring chicken.
O’Neale has appeared in 525 games, 329 alongside Gobert. The duo spent five seasons in Salt Lake City together before both parting ways with the franchise via trade in the 2022 offseason. Since departing Utah, O’Neale hasn’t missed a beat.
The former Baylor Bear averaged a career-high in points and assists playing for the Brooklyn Nets in the 2022-23 season. This past season, O’Neale split time between Brooklyn and Phoenix—excelling in his role for both squads.
Now a free agent for the first time in his professional career, O’Neale will assuredly hit the open market with hopes of joining a contender. As a 3-and-D, low-usage wing, O’Neale’s best fit is on a team with championship aspirations.
While O’Neale may covet a starting role, he only started 14 of 79 games this past year, displaying his willingness to accept any responsibility. Regardless of his role, O’Neale’s versatility shines. At 6-foot-4 and nearly 230 pounds, he’s burly enough to defend power forwards and agile enough to defend guards.
O’Neale is as 3-and-D as 3-and-D gets. He registered a bottom-20 usage rate and nearly 80 percent of his field goal attempts came from beyond the arc. As two of the previous three players’ fits have been described, O’Neale will fit right in as a shooting specialist and versatile defender off the pine.
1. Alec Burks
Nowhere near the most accomplished, yet the best player on the list, former Utah guard Alec Burks remains an explosive scorer at 32 years old. Burks averaged 20.5 points per 36 minutes this past season. The veteran guard canned 124 triples and knocked down 145 free throws splitting time between Detroit and New York.
It’s been quite some time since the athletic swingman and Gobert donned the same color uniforms. The former Jazz pairing spent half the 2018-19 season together before Burks was dealt to the Cleveland Cavaliers in exchange for the sharpshooting Kyle Korver.
All in all, the duo appeared in 186 games together. Although Burks has played 13 seasons in the associations, he’s only averaged about 57 appearances per season—limiting his court time with Gobert during their tenure in Salt Lake City.
Now, Burks isn’t as injury-prone as he once was, but expecting the 6-foot-5 guard to appear in more than 70 games is a longshot. Over the past five seasons, Burks has only hit the hardwood more than 70 times once—in 2021-22.
He may not be the most reliable player at this with a lengthy injury history at 32 years old, nevertheless, he’s a valuable addition to any second unit because of his premier shot-making. This past season, Burks’ field goal attempts were nearly split down the middle from two and three-point range. Furthermore, he held a pretty high free throw rate of 29.3 percent.
The former Utah swingman excels at getting to the line, pulling up from the mid-range, and spotting up from distance. He’s a talented all-around scorer. Where Burks doesn’t provide the utmost value is his defense. Burks possesses an athletic, long frame, yet defenders shot better from the field when defended by the Colorado product.
Different from the other players mentioned, Burks is a go-to scorer. Sure, he won’t average 15-plus points per game at this juncture. But he is a microwave scorer who can get hot when Anthony Edwards or Karl-Anthony Towns are off the floor.
