For the past couple of seasons, Ricky Rubio has been linked to several trade rumors. Yet despite these rumors, Rubio remains a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves. But after the Timberwolves drafted Kris Dunn with the fourth overall pick this past June, it looked like finally Rubio’s tenure in Minnesota was going to be nearing an end in the not so distant future. The Timberwolves, though, reportedly don’t plan on trading Rubio anytime soon.
According to The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Timberwolves want to first see how Dunn develops before making a decision on Rubio. Minnesota has, however, received plenty of interest in Rubio, most notably from the Sacramento Kings, yet unless there is a deal they can’t refuse, the Timberwolves won’t be trading their starting point guard.
That is despite reports that Rubio could lose his starting role to Dunn after the first 20 games of the season.
From Wojnarowski:
There is still time until the 2016 NBA draft’s fifth overall selection, Kris Dunn, takes over as the Minnesota Timberwolves’ point guard – which is why the franchise is still resisting trade overtures for Ricky Rubio, league sources told The Vertical.
The Sacramento Kings are the most determined of several teams expressing interest in finding a pathway to a Rubio deal, league sources said, but Minnesota president and coach Tom Thibodeau is reluctant to move Rubio – outside of bringing back a no-brainer package, of course – until Dunn’s progress illustrates this season that he’s ready to fully take over the team.
Thibodeau doesn’t anticipate Dunn becoming the starter until approximately 20 games into the regular season, league sources said.
At this time, the Timberwolves have no real reason to trade Rubio. After all, Dunn is an unproven rookie and could likely take a year or two to fully develop. Rubio, on the other hand, is a proven starter and excellent passer. And even if Dunn is moved into the starting lineup after 20 games, having Rubio come off the bench would strengthen their second unit immensely.
Also although he is 25 years old, Rubio is an elder statesman on the Timberwolves and provides some veteran knowledge that is beneficial to have on the court. Rubio also has already developed chemistry with Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine, which should help the Timberwolves continue to build on their signs of improvement from last season.
Dunn could be the Timberwolves’ point guard of the future but until that actually happens, Minnesota’s point guard situation is quite strong with Rubio — a situation of which many teams would be quite envious.
Courtesy: CBS Sports
