SALT LAKE CITY (AP) A person with knowledge of the deal says the Utah Jazz and Rudy Gobert have agreed to terms on a contract extension.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Monday because the extension has not yet been announced by the team.
The Vertical first reported the deal and said it was worth $102 million over four years.
Gobert was drafted No. 27 overall by the Denver Nuggets in 2013 and traded to the Jazz on draft night.
The 7-foot-1, 245-pound center last season averaged career-highs in points (9.1), rebounds (11.0) and blocks (2.2) and has developed into one of the top defenders in the league the last two years. Those numbers have increased to 11.0 points, 12.0 rebounds and 2.7 blocks through three games this season.
Gobert, 24, was set to become a restricted free agent in July, when he could have signed an offer sheet with another team. The Jazz, however, would have had the rights to match that deal and keep him in Salt Lake City.
Gobert is considered one of the steals of the 2013 draft and the Jazz have become one of the best defensive teams in the league with him as the centerpiece at the rim. The contract gives Gobert the security of having the deal done and, likely, saves the team a few million that he may have gotten as a restricted free agent.
This is also the first step of locking up the team’s young core of players. Gordon Hayward is expected to opt out of the final year of his deal after this season and will likely command a max offer. Derrick Favors’ deal runs through 2017-18.
The Jazz recently picked up the team option on the contracts of Rodney Hood, Dante Exum and Trey Lyles. The moves keep the youngest part of the team’s nucleus on their rookie deals through the 2017-18 season.
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