NBA Trade News: Sacramento Kings trying to acquire Ricky Rubio from Minnesota Timberwolves
The Minnesota Timberwolves (14-28) are "actively shopping" Ricky Rubio and are hoping to move the veteran point guard ahead of the Feb. 23 trade deadline, per fresh reports.
Unlike previous years, the Spaniard has featured in 37 of Minnesota's 41 games and has shrugged off his "injury-prone" reputation. However, Timberwolves coach-cum-president Tom Thibodeau is reportedly looking to give the point guard reigns to Kris Dunn despite his up-and-down rookie season.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, Minnesota is trying to package Rubio with forward Shabazz Muhammad in potential trade deals and has been contacting several teams about the same. "The Timberwolves have attached Rubio to multiple offers with Shabazz Muhammad to several teams around the NBA, league sources said," Wojnarowski reported on Wednesday.
The report also noted that Sacramento Kings, a team sans a quality starting point guard, has shown a ton of interest with regards to a trade involving Rubio. However, the Timberwolves are reportedly trying to get a better return for the sixth-year guard than the Kings' previous offers.
Ricky Rubio trade: A bargain contract in the modern NBA
Rubio, a quality floor general and defensive presence, is on a bargain contract when compared to lucrative deals thrown around the league. The 26-year-old is owed approximately $US29 million ($AU38 million) through the rest of his contract which expires at the end of the 2018-19 NBA season.
Last year, several reports emerged linking Rubio to the Cleveland Cavaliers, a team that is still searching for a backup point guard to Kyrie Irving. Since the Cavs have a few trade exceptions on their books, it’s not improbable for general manager David Griffin to pull off a trade for Ricky Rubio.
After the Cavs acquired Kyle Korver from the Atlanta Hawks, LeBron James declared that the reigning champions still need to add a PG ahead of the Feb. trade deadline. "We still got a couple more things we need to do. We got to get a point guard. Yeah, it's my last time saying it. We need a point guard," the four-time MVP said earlier this month, via ESPN.
Ricky Rubio is averaging 7.9 points, 8.1 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.9 steals in his sixth NBA season. While Rubio's playmaking and defensive ability have never been in questions, several general managers and coaches have resisted trading for him due to his broken jump shot. Rubio is still only a 24 percent long distance shooter, the worst among all active point guards in the league.
