The talk of the town before the 2017 NBA Draft was the shock NBA trade pulled by the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Chicago Bulls. Jimmy Butler was the prized catch in return for Kris Dunn, Zack LaVine and seventh pick Lauri Markkanen.
From the deal alone, the T-Wolves lost two prized point guards which seemed to hint that Spanish guard Ricky Rubio is staying put. Based on latest reports, that is not the case. In fact, the T-Wolves are still willing to trade Rubio and take in someone who can shoot the ball.
Searching for more sniping
Considering the T-Wolves have Butler, Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns, coach Tom Thibodeau may be looking for someone who can orchestrate and force opposing teams to spread out better.
Butler and Wiggins do have outside shots but it seems Thibodeau wants to free up some space for inside penetrations and plays.
Rubio is a good facilitator but has never been known to have a good outside shot. It is a Waterloo on his end and something other NBA teams are wary of. Aside from that, Rubio does carry a hefty paycheck. Should the T-Wolves succeed in trading him, it would give Minnesota added room in the event they go after some of the high-profile free agents this summer.
Will Rubio trade come soon?
It would be best to note that the T-Wolves are thinking trade though they want to make sure they have a reliable guard in place. Patty Mills and/or J.J. Reddick could be targeted though their cap space will be critical.
Mills could be a priority seeing that Minnesota has the cap space to chase him. If the goal is to get a shooter, Kyle Korver could be a wise choice to lead the outside sniping for the T-Wolves.
If Thibodeau fails to land either Mills or Korver, targeting the more expensive ones like Reddick may require them to trade Rubio first.
The 33-year-old will not come cheap and the Los Angeles Clippers will want a hefty exchange for the veteran guard. He currently holds a $20 million deal with the Clips.
Multiple teams could express interest in Rubio, regardless if his shooting is atrocious. There are teams filled with shooters and slashers who could use someone like him.
To his credit, Rubio is a wonderful passer and can score on drives once his teammates provide him good screens.
Ricky Rubio trade news is nothing new and so far nothing has gone down. All that could change this NBA break with most teams trying to beef up their roster for the 2016-17 NBA season.
