Minnesota Timberwolves and Spanish national team starting point guard Ricky Rubio has been the hot focus of trade rumors all summer long, especially after the Wolves recently drafted a fellow point guard in Providence star Kris Dunn. However, owner Glen Taylor disputed the rumors by saying that a trade will not likely happen.
In an interview with the Star Tribune regarding the potential trade, Taylor said, "I don't see that as a likely possibility," before adding that he believes Rubio has "some wonderful qualities" and that the coach and team personnel all "like Ricky." He also shared that new coach Tom Thibodeau wants to bring in an assistant coach to primarily help Rubio with one notable weakness in his game, which is his outside shooting. Regarding Dunn whom they acquired fifth overall in the 2016 Draft, Taylor noted that they still have to see "how good Kris Dunn is" prior to even thinking about a trade.
The 25-year old Rubio was selected by the Wolves fifth overall in 2009 and stayed in his native Spain prior to joining the Minnesota organization prior to the 2011-12 season. He has career averages of 10.1 points on 37 percent field goal shooting, 8.3 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 2.2 steals. His highest shooting percentage for a season is just 38 percent.
One possibility is that Rubio would remain in Minnesota for now before getting traded sometime during midseason, according to a report by Sporting News. In doing so, Rubio would help ease Dunn to help him get comfortable with the pace of NBA basketball and Thibodeau's system. The trade deadline is sometime February.
Rubio is under contract for $42.5 million for the next three seasons while fellow point guards in the rotation Dunn and Tyus Jones are on a rookie salary scale. Shooting guard Zach Lavine has been called upon in the past to play point guard which means there is a logjam in the position.
Rumors have it that likely destinations for Rubio, should he be traded, would be Philadelphia (which has no true point guard in its roster) or Sacramento (which has the troublesome Darren Collison as its starting point guard).