They say every team has its breaking point. And for Minnesota, it might be Rudy Gobert attending a chess-and-basketball summit in France. Because, sure, nothing screams “offseason turbulence” like a 7’1 defensive anchor tipping off his franchise about another towering Frenchman who suddenly makes things a lot more complicated. The Timberwolves aren’t in crisis mode, not yet. But they’ve got a beautiful headache.

A headache named Joan Beringer. Gobert, who recently popped up at Victor Wembanyama’s chess and basketball event (yes, that’s a real thing) alongside International Master Julien Song, may have done more than just play a few rounds and post a polite selfie. Because people, it’s possible Gobert nudged the Wolves toward Beringer, a wiry, instinct-heavy forward who turned heads during his Summer League debut with the Timberwolves. And look, we get it.

Beringer’s got sauce. On the Bill Simmons podcast featuring Matthew Belloni, Belloni went as far as saying he “moves like a star” and has a “feel for space.” Add in his youth (second-youngest in the draft) and his hands as “he catches everything”, and suddenly you’ve got Gobert’s fellow countryman making a legitimate case for a rotation spot on a win-now team. But here’s where things get interesting.

The Minnesota Timberwolves drafted Rob Dillingham 8th overall in 2024, the shifty Kentucky guard with a handle smoother than French butter and a jumper that cooks from deep. By all accounts, he’s the Ant-Man sidekick Timberwolves fans didn’t know they needed. “What’s really nice, too, is he can shoot off the bounce, and that’s huge because of how he wants to play,” Belloni continued on the podcast.

“He’s a great oop thrower as well, which is something Ant is very weirdly iffy at, but that helps as well. Just opens up that part of the offense,” he said. And while he’s undersized and occasionally chaotic, the Wolves have the jumbo personnel to hide that. Still, Simmons made it simple for us all.

“Dillingham now has to be good next year,” he declared. Because for the Wolves, this isn’t a developmental year. This is a year that says: we just made the Western Conference Finals and want more. That means minutes are precious. Roles matter. And Chris Finch can’t afford to experiment too long with a lineup that’s this delicate. Who’s good at stirring things up on defense, though? Rudy Gobert.

Is Rudy Gobert checkmating the Wolves?

He’s a four-time Defensive Player of the Year, a four-time All-NBA honoree, and the man who made drop coverage cool again. But his offensive limitations have long forced his teams into tricky personnel compromises. When he’s on, rim protection becomes a religion. When he’s off, spacing collapses like a flan in a cupboard. This season, Rudy averaged 12 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks on 66.9% shooting.

His defensive presence helped anchor the Wolves to a top 10 defensive rating in the league (111.5). But his offensive fit has always been… fragile. Pairing him with anyone would work on paper, but only because Anthony Edwards draws so much gravity. And now? Now you’ve got a new piece, Beringer, who might fit the modern mold better.

Beringer, based on early flashes, offers a level of fluidity and touch that Gobert never had. He isn’t the rim deterrent Rudy is, but he’s more switchable, more malleable, and, crucially, doesn’t gum up the spacing. If Gobert’s presence was the reason Minnesota got tipped off to Beringer, he might’ve unknowingly sped up his own elimination. And there’s also the locker room angle as well.

If Beringer thrives and Dillingham develops, the Wolves might find themselves facing an impossible question: How long can they keep building around a center who thrives in the regular season but sometimes stalls them in the postseason? Then again, Rudy could also be playing chess while the rest are playing checkers, quite literally.

His link-up with Wemby was part of a long-term cultural flex, the kind of thing that builds up French basketball’s profile globally. Maybe Gobert sees Beringer as part of the bigger picture. Maybe he’s planting seeds. Or maybe he just wanted a new sparring partner in the weight room. Whatever the motive, Rudy’s influence continues to ripple through the Wolves’ front office, intentionally or not.

The franchise got their superstar in Ant. They’ve got momentum. But now they’ve got options, a little too many, maybe. And when that happens in the NBA, someone always becomes expendable. Whether that’s Dillingham, Beringer, or Gobert himself remains the juiciest subplot in a suddenly tangled Timberwolves summer. And the next move? That’s on Chris Finch. And maybe a few chess clocks.