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Optimism is high around the Minnesota Timberwolves right now, with their “win” of the 2015 NBA Draft Lottery on Tuesday night that will give them the No. 1 pick for the first time in franchise history. But speculation on the other end of the spectrum surfaced earlier in the day, with ESPN’s Chad Ford offering that point guard Ricky Rubio’s camp has been pushing for a trade for quite some time.
Darren Wolfson of KSTP and 1500 ESPN refuted Ford’s nugget with a report that Rubio is not pushing for a trade, especially in the wake of another injury-marred season. Jerry Zgoda of the Minneapolis Star Tribune went a different direction by suggesting that Rubio’s agent has probably wanted a trade for awhile, and may have negotiated the four-year, $55 million contract extension that Rubio will start next season with the knowledge that other teams would be willing to take on the contract.
It’s odd to think that Rubio will still be just 25 years old on Oct. 21 of this year, but dating back to his time in his native Spain he is a very experienced pro basketball player. He may still have some untapped upside if he can become a better and more consistent shooter, along with name recognition that may still carry weight in some NBA front offices. Add all of the above together, and that’s why I see Rubio as the Timberwolves’ top potential trade asset this offseason.
Rubio, or his agent, is in no position to demand a trade right now. He played just 22 games this past season due to a lingering ankle issue that eventually required surgery, and while he averaged 10.3 points and 8.8 assists per game his shooting woes reached a low-point (25.5 percent from three-point range). Over four NBA seasons he has missed at least 25 games three times, and in today’s age of point guards that can score Rubio has shown minimal potential to become one of the best in league at the position. So it makes sense that Rubio or his representation has backed off any trade demands that may have come previously, and Wolfson reported that signing the contract extension last fall eased any potential push for a trade.
There’s no indication that Rubio is disgruntled, but having a nice contract extension on the horizon should effectively squash any private discontent he has. So we are not looking at a repeat of the Kevin Love situation, which left the Timberwolves with no choice but to trade him last summer.
The Timberwolves acquired young star Andrew Wiggins in the trade that sent Love to Cleveland, and the return in a trade involving Rubio will obviously not be anywhere close to that level. But Vice President of Basketball Operations/Coach Flip Saunders should be willing to take trade offers for almost anyone on his current roster, and if a durable point guard can be brought back in a deal I wouldn’t mind seeing Rubio sent elsewhere.
Brad Berreman is a Senior Writer at Rant Sports.com. Follow him on Twitter.
