Two other agreements reached: $ 205 million for Gobert, $ 40 million for Kuzma

French Utah Jazz giant Rudy Gobert reached a five-year, $ 205 million contract extension with the team, Gobert himself confirmed to ESPN.

It wasn’t what the two-time Defensive Player of the Year had originally asked for: a super max deal with a starting salary at 35 percent of the salary cap, but it was close enough: Gobert will receive $ 35.3 million in his first year, around 31.4 percent of the salary cap.

“It means they believe in me,” the 28-year-old told ESPN. “They believe in what we’ve been building over the years with this whole organization, with the coach (Quin Snyder) and all the guys. For me, it’s an incredible blessing. It’s a very motivating feeling to know that we all share the same thing. vision, and we all share this goal for this state and for this franchise. “

The new deal has made Gobert the third highest paid player in NBA history, behind only Giannis Antetokounmpo and Russell Westbrook, above Anthony Davis, James Harden, Damian Lillard, Stephen Curry and many other bigger names. than Gobert.

By contrast, Dikembe Mutombo, one of the best defenders in league history, signed a five-year, $ 60 million deal with the Atlanta Hawks in the summer of 1996 when Shaquille O’Neal joined the Los Angeles Lakers for Seven years and $ 120 million, Alonzo Mourning went to the Miami Heat for five years, $ 105 million and Juwan Howard extended his contract with the Washington Bullets for the same price.

However, Utah had no choice but to keep Gobert over-treated. Their pain is shared by other small market teams. One thing’s for sure, Utah has lost the ability to make a big move in its lineup for at least four years to come.

Gobert and Donovan Mitchell’s big contracts will take effect in the 2021-22 season. Considering Utah will also pay Jordan Clarkson and Bojan Bogdanovic $ 12.4 million and $ 17.9 million, respectively, it is unlikely that they will stick with Mike Conley, whose deal expires in the summer of 2021. A year later, Derrick Favors and Joe Ingles are also becoming free agents. The only way Utah can keep them competitive is by paying a large amount of luxury tax, but that has never been their style.

As we said earlier, the 2020-21 season may be Utah’s best and only opportunity for success.

Kyle Kuzma reached a three-year, $ 40 million contract extension with the Lakers, according to ESPN.

That’s good news for the 25-year-old because he’s been in almost every purple and gold-related trade rumor in the last two years. At least now, he doesn’t have to worry about his future in the 2020-21 season. Also, his performance in the past three seasons is not good enough for an annual salary of more than $ 10 million.

“KUUUUUZZZZZZZZZZZ! Congratulations bro! Next dinner with you for sure! The Wine Chronicles @kylekuzma,” James tweeted after the news.

Keeping Kuzma fits into the Lakers’ strategy this offseason. Rather than racking up room to chase the third star in the free agent market next year, they decided to invest in upgrading their squad now with the best men they could get. Although Kuzma hasn’t been very consistent on the court, his size, athleticism and offensive skills are in his favor in today’s NBA.

The Lakers may also be playing dual tactics. Kuzma will be available for exchange after his new agreement takes effect. One of the reasons purple and gold didn’t make a lot of moves in a large transaction was a lack of proper contracts. The ones James and Davis had were too big, the others were too small. Kuzma’s new contract plus a similar one and a small contract can easily match the starting salary of a maximum contract.