For months, NBA trade rumors have been going around with the Minnesota Timberwolves' Ricky Rubio being mentioned. The longtime point guard for the T-Wolves had been recently mentioned as possibly heading to the New York Knicks with Minnesota maybe landing point guard Derrick Rose somehow. Now it appears that Rubio has been dealt to another Western Conference contender as the Utah Jazz have acquired the PG for their team. Here's the latest on the trade as well as the Jazz and Timberwolves' offseason plans.
Trade details
As reported by Salt Lake City Tribune, the Timberwolves have sent Ricky Rubio to Utah.
In exchange, the Utah Jazz agreed to give Minnesota a protected first-round 2018 NBA Draft Pick. The details are quite simple, as it clears up salary cap space for the Wolves. For the Jazz, it could be the type of move to try to keep a certain free agent on the roster.
Breaking: T-Wolves trade Ricky Rubio to Jazz for a 1st round pick, per @tribjazz & @ESPNSteinLine pic.twitter.com/ZNFZ5J5iWE
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) June 30, 2017
Rubio was the fifth overall pick back in the 2009 NBA Draft after spending four years in Spain with Joventut Badalona team. He played two more years for Barcelona before officially joining Minnesota in the 2011 NBA season. Since then, he's averaged 10.3 points, 8.5 assists, and 4.2 rebounds per game.
His assists this current season, which are just over nine per game, is his career-high average so far.
Roster changes
The Minnesota Timberwolves continue to make moves this offseason. They set the NBA world into full surprise mode with the Jimmy Butler trade on NBA Draft night. Butler joined Minnesota and his former Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibeadau.
In exchange, Chicago acquired the No. 7 draft pick as well as Zach LaVine and Kris Dunn. With the Rubio trade, it appears Minnesota could also be clearing the way for another guard to sign with the team during free agency. Some of the names out there that they may look into include the Knicks' Derrick Rose or Pacers' Jeff Teague.
For the Utah Jazz, Gordon Hayward is their top priority. The free agency period officially starts as of midnight on Saturday, and both the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics are interested in getting Hayward for their rosters. However, Hayward has not ruled out returning to Utah to continue his career with the Jazz. Depending on where he decides to go, it could set forth a "ripple effect" as far as other free agents or player moves including Carmelo Anthony, Paul George, and Blake Griffin.
NBA fans what do you think about today's Ricky Rubio trade from Minnesota to Utah? Good move for the Jazz? What should the Timberwolves do with their point guard situation?