Trade season is fast approaching and the Minnesota Timberwolves seem keen on making some moves. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, the team is “actively shopping” point guard Ricky Rubio.
The Timberwolves have attached Rubio to multiple offers with Shabazz Muhammad to several teams around the NBA, league sources said. Minnesota has been seeking something of a “bridge” guard in return, a player capable of starting in the short term, but who’ll ultimately settle into a backup role and give way to rookie Kris Dunn to become the long-term starter, league sources said.
This isn’t too shocking of a story. Rubio has been on the rumor mill for years now. But the reasoning behind it is a little surprising.
Dunn was projected fairly highly in the pre-draft process but has not shown much to warrant eventually being a starting point guard for a playoff team. That can change, obviously, and he’s still a rookie with plenty of time to learn (even as an older prospect.)
As for who would trade for the current starting point guard, Woj confirms previous reports that the Kings have long been interested. However, he also mentions that there is not much traction in such a trade as the Wolves do not like the collection of assets they would receive in return.
Trading Ricky Rubio seems like somewhat of a hasty move for a disappointing Wolves team. He may not be the perfect fit but he is their best perimeter defender and a creative passer. But perhaps it is time to move on and find a better solution to the team’s issues. It certainly appears as though he will be in a new jersey by the end of February.
