Ricky Rubio has remained in the rumor mill as far as being traded from the Minnesota Timberwolves for months now.
As of late the point guard has spoken on elevating his team to playoff contention, and despite expressing confidence that he wouldn’t be traded, Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher reports that Minnesota still has interest in moving Rubio:
I’m hearing that the Minnesota Timberwolves are actually look at potentially moving off of Rubio at this point. They’ve seen enough, and they do not believe that he is the future, in spite of the fact that he’s only 24. Now, they’ve tested the trade waters. I’m hearing that they’re quiet right now, but that they could return to looking to see what they could get for Rubio once the season begins and some things shake out for some other teams, because they don’t have any specific trade partners at the moment.
There’s no evidence to the claim, but there could always be an internal rift in the organization when it comes to Rubio. Trade rumors can go either way in terms of credibility, but it usually suggests that it could have at least been discussed at some point.
At 24 years old and still developing his game, Rubio’s trade value isn’t necessarily game-changing. To be seriously looking into what a trade would look like only means that they truly are unconvinced that Rubio is the point guard suited for their future vision. With the likes of Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine, and Karl-Anthony Towns on board, it’s hard to believe the Timberwolves aren’t satisfied with Rubio as their point guard for the future. The way he manages the floor can have a serious impact on the elevation of Minnesota’s young talent.
Since there don’t seem to be immediate scenarios for a trade, according to Bucher, then the potential of this rumor very well may depend on how Rubio is playing at the start of the season.
