The Minnesota Timberwolves could consider trading Ricky Rubio for Sacramento Kings forward Rudy Gay, a trade scenario that may appear "eminently possible."
Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor has insisted that trading Ricky Rubio this offseason won't be a "likely possibility," but there remains plenty of possibilities Minnesota could explore a trade involving the the Spanish playmaker.
According to Sports Illustrated's Jeremy Woo, one possible trade the Wolves could explore is sending Rubio to the Sacramento Kings for Rudy Gay, which could be "eminently possible" and "weirdly sensible" for both teams.
"The Kings say they're happy with Darren Collison at point guard? It's the Kings. And crazily enough, they've assembled enough weird veteran parts and extraneous big men that throwing Rubio into the mix at least makes you think," Woo wrote.
"Does this elevate the Kings into eight-seed position? Not at all. But would pick and pop with Rubio and the multitalented Boogie Cousins be fun? Probably. The converse-Thibs reuniting with Team USA pupil Rudy Gay and forcing him to play defense-isn't bad either."
With Kris Dunn on board and Zach Lavine becoming a legit starting point guard for the Timberwolves, there is not much of a room for Rubio running the point for Tom Thibodeau. Bringing in Gay, who has been reportedly available in the trade market, would give the Timberwolves an elite two-way player and a veteran wing who could lead the team's pack of young talents
After the Kings lost Rajon Rondo and Seth Curry to free agency, and instead opt for two big men in the draft, the point guard position has become an issue the team needs to address before the start of next season. Adding Rubio would give the Kings a pass-first point guard, whom the Kings could partner with DeMarcus Cousins and maximize the potential of Sacramento's rotation of big men.
It is unclear whether the Timberwolves would truly consider trading Rubio despite Taylor expressing intentions of keeping Rubio in Minnesota. But Gay's availability could be too enticing for the Wolves to pass on, which would likely move the Spaniard out of Minny.