AUGUST 3: The Timberwolves and Cavaliers have officially announced the trade in a pair of press releases.
The timing is curious, since the free agency moratorium is underway and trades can’t be formally completed during that time. However, the NBA’s official transactions log suggests the deal was finalized on Monday, presumably before the new league year began.
The announcement comes on the heels of Rubio racking up 38 points for the Spanish national team in a losing effort against Team USA on Tuesday.
JULY 29: The Timberwolves have agreed to trade Ricky Rubio to the Cavaliers in exchange for Taurean Prince, a 2022 second-round pick, and cash, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).
Wojnarowski’s original report stated that the second-round pick and cash were going from Minnesota to Cleveland, but according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Twitter link), the Wolves are actually acquiring those assets along with Prince.
Subsequent reporting confirms as much — Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report tweets that the Cavs are sending $2.5MM to Minnesota as part of the deal, while Wojnarowski tweets that the pick changing hands is the Wizards’ 2022 second-rounder, which had been controlled by Cleveland.
It’s an interesting deal for the Cavaliers, who already have Darius Garland running the point and Collin Sexton acting as a secondary ball-handler. Giving up assets for Rubio doesn’t necessarily mean the Cavs have to move on from one of those players (likely Sexton), since the team needs depth at the point and was seeking a reliable veteran, per Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com (Twitter link). Still, that added depth would make it easier for Cleveland to move Sexton, who has been the subject of some trade rumors this month.
Rubio, who is currently representing Spain at the Tokyo Olympics, averaged a career-low 8.6 PPG for Minnesota in 2020/21 and shot just .388/.308/.867 in 68 games (26.1 MPG). However, the 30-year-old remains an effective play-maker (6.4 APG) and received praise for his leadership of the young Wolves.
The Timberwolves will create some extra financial flexibility below the luxury tax line as a result of this deal, as Rubio is on a $17.8MM expiring contract, while Prince is making $13MM in the last year of his contract. The team now projects to be about $5.4MM below the tax, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks.
It’s unclear if Minnesota intends to keep Prince, but the team was lacking in reliable forward depth this past season, so the former Baylor standout could help out there. He’s a career 37.0% three-point shooter and knocked down 40.0% of his attempts from beyond the arc for Brooklyn and Cleveland in 2020/21.
Nice trade by Wolves get a wing they badly needed
Well that’s interesting. I don’t think I have heard anyone suggest this deal.
Yes I got flack for supporting Rubio. That was a different larger trade tho, basically adding on to a MIN trade.
link to hoopsrumors.com
It was a Simmons-to-MIN 3-teamer
I like Rubio, but I don’t know about the Cavs as a destination. I guess this foreshadows a Sexton deal, but it kind of kills all of Cleveland’s leverage as well.
I suspect they got no acceptable offers— like most GMs with their best-laid plans— and Sexton has another year before contract time. Fine.
I almost made Prince my picture.
Well who do we get tonight! Cmon Mobley.
Rubio is a passer and horrible shooter. He isn’t replacing Sexton’s shooting and scoring ability. Also, I would think he would back up Garland and get time on bigger guards. As long as it has nothing to do with moving Sexton then I like it. I don’t know if we needed to give up a 2nd rounder tho.
Yeah, this trade came out of nowhere. I think value wise it’s a fair deal.
Probably means they are going with Garland at PG. Since Mobley is the future. Sexton can bring in a SG. Or a 4 or picks. Rubio is a solid backup. Who can help a young team. And knows how to play with young bigs. Put up 38 against USA
Good pickup.
Makes sense for both sides. The Cavs need a veteran guard to play back up/mentor Garland, the Timberwolves needed a wing, and the Cavs get an extra pick for taking on a little bit extra money even though they’re swapping expiring contracts. Everybody wins.
Agreed
I guess they’re giving the Wolves a pick now instead of getting an extra. But either way, it makes sense for both teams.
Didn’t see that correction until you mentioned it. But giving away that pick isn’t too big a deal, the Cavs still have the Rockets and Spurs 2nd rounders next year. They wouldn’t need all 4.
Heard he was a great mentor to Edwards so he could help Garland maybe. Also we are desperate for backup PG so ok cool welcome to CLE
Go Cavs!
Cavs are getting a 2nd Rubio and Cash for Prince!
NM I was wrong!
Means Sexton is a Goner. Please god not the Knicks. Rubio is a stabilizer. He’s good for a young team. Garland can learn a lot from him. Only one who could straighten out Sexton is Bron. Kuzma and Lakers pick would do it for me.
This is pretty…how can I say it nicely…Rubio? Huh? Surprised the guy isn’t on a boat in Spain with money and shrimp cocktails.
Moving from Minnesota winters to Cleveland…year rounds? Yuck.
Goodbye…Ruby Tuesdays. Get it? Lol did u ever eat there I did
You think a backup PG. Needs a reply from you. You need to read about him. Why show your ignorance lol. He’s only going to help them. You got no talent when it comes to jokes. Seriously lol. Respect yourself.
they look at you crazy if you ask for any kind of sauce.
There have croutons ar e so nasty!
They were trendy in the 80s. You went there after college and your first $12.5k job!
You know what else was trendy in the 80s? Cocaine.
That’s right, a Friday in November about 11, me, Murph and Swanski were in the Ruby Tuesdays mens room in Shreveport, LA — but our noses were in Bogota Colombia.
Murph got arrested later on for dancing with a police officer against his wishes. Funny enough they’re still in touch. Swanski died a couple years later. I don’t touch the stuff anymore.
But for that one night… we felt like gods. Hawks won big and I got some babysitters phone number.
How does that $2.5 mill work? Does it come out of Cavs cap space? Or is it money out of Dan Gilbert’s pocket?
The latter. Doesn’t affect cap at all.
Ok that’s good to hear, thanks
It comes out of Gilbert’s pocket and doesn’t affect the cap space!
Now them getting the wallet out of Gilbert’s hand…I’d watch that on PPV.
Cavs need another veteran presence and this kills two birds with one stone by adding depth at PG and having someone other than Love or Delly in there with the boys.
Win for the wolves without a doubt
they couldn’t find a way to dump love in there somewhere? rubio’s salary was 2/3rds of the way already there.
Interesting trade, not even a possibility I thought of. Not our biggest need, but a absolutely could see him starting at the 4 and getting 20 minutes a game. His defense will help in a big way, too.
This means we gotta be elevating JMac, right?
Now need a third PG on the roster.
Sad to see a great locker room and culture guy leave, but it had to happen. Not a fit on our roster.
Love getting back into the draft. Rosas had done great drafting later in the draft. Almost enough to forgive him for JC.
Oops, misread that it’s a 2022 pick rather than 2021.
Rubio got credit for improving Booker before Chris Paul did. He didn’t teach Booker PG tho, rather his presense focussed Booker at 2G where he improved by specializing at it. Which, was needed.
Fellow Spaniard PG Jose Calderon put in a splendid half-year in Cleveland 2017/18 at the end of his career.
link to basketball-reference.com
Calderon started ahead of DRose, DWade, GHill and IThomas, believe it or not, all at PG, and did better than all of them!
He was injured early and we wondered why bother with him. Then he went 15-2 as a starter before more injuries. Cavs went 15-20 with Calderon off & on including nationally televised games where Lebron didn’t show and nobody seemed to try to win and JVG was outraged. JC returned to start and they went 9-1, then out again. In the 22 mostly-off playoff games, JC was in only in 8′ vs GSW. He was washed at that point.
Raptors had the best of him 5to10 years previously.
Well that was Calderon, but Rubio has similar stats (higher on-off, lower 3pt%), same height, same country. Actually, RR is probably more like the new Delly.
Yesterday I asked about Rubios value in a trade…..Was told no way we get Rubio gone unless the Wolves throw in picks……….well…..they got Rubio gone….brought back less payroll……..got CASH AND a draft pick……..Seems like it worked out well for the Wolves…….PF was a position of need….saved $$$ and got a lil future draft capital. For once it seems the Wolves didn’t mess their bed.
Yup, that my post and you saved some time for me! Thanks! I was one that thought Rubio would have less value as well tho, not a dump but I didn’t think a good/decent F AND a pick would come!
Regarding the timing of the deal, making it official now would allow the Cavs to use the 2.5M cash allotment from 20-21 that was going to expire instead of dipping into 21-22.
Oh yeah, to be clear, I think it made some sense to get it done before the league year changed over — just odd to see a trade announcement in the middle of the moratorium.
That’s good insight right there.
poor rubio now that the T-wolves are looking to be a playoff team he goes to a bottom of the standings team to watch his career become a sad stats collector.
Cleveland looks better than Timberwolves at this point tbh…
???? The T-wolves were injured until the end of the season being healthy where they were playing very well. T-wolves should be a playoff team with no injuries.
They’re always looking to be a playoff team, who isn’t? But every year, not close.
I’m sure Rubio is happy to be going to a team that has plans for him.
For all the geniuses here who don’t know ball. Or don’t even care about ball. Yet think we need their input here. Swallow this …….
Rubio was spectacular in the loss, scoring a game-high 38 points on 13-of-20 shooting, but his teammates combined to go just 16 of 44 from the field. With 95-81 win, USA men’s basketball has now ended Spain’s gold medal hopes in the past five Olympics.
If you don’t know why show yourself
the gasol brothers were spectacular in their own right, combining for zero points.
Ricky Rubio gone be a beast in the NBA!
Yeah one day ……