Gobert’s days in Utah done

For the Utah Jazz, one era is ending. For the Minnesota Timberwolves, one seems to be beginning.

The Jazz have agreed to trade Rudy Gobert — a three-time NBA defensive player of the year — to the Timberwolves for a massive package of players and draft picks, according to a person with knowledge of the blockbuster deal.

Utah will receive four first-round picks in drafts from 2023 to 2029, a first-round pick from this year’s draft in Walker Kessler, along with Patrick Beverley and Malik Beasley, according to the person who spoke to The Associated Press on Friday on condition of anonymity because the league had not approved the deal and neither team could announce it publicly.

ESPN, which first reported the trade, also said Jarred Vanderbilt was going from Minnesota to Utah as part of the deal for Gobert — who now gets paired alongside another elite big man in Karl-Anthony Towns.

The Jazz made the playoffs each of the past six seasons and now seem to be resetting in multiple ways. Quin Snyder decided to depart last month after eight years as coach, and the Jazz hired Will Hardy — a former longtime San Antonio Spurs assistant and a staff member for the Boston Celtics on their run to the Eastern Conference title this past season — to take over on the bench.

And now Gobert leaves, officially ending his pairing with guard Donovan Mitchell in Utah — an on-court relationship that seemed really good at times and strained at other moments. A series of disappointing playoff exits led to the annual question of whether the two could coexist on a title-contending team.