Timberwolves Rumors: Ricky Rubio Unlikely To Be Traded

Minnesota Timberwolves Rumors: After shopping Ricky Rubio earlier in the offseason, owner Glen Taylor believes that is no longer a likely possibility.

Minnesota Timberwolves rumors ran rampant earlier in the offseason. They were in the Jimmy Butler sweepstakes, but ultimately nothing came to fruition as the Timberwolves were unwilling to part with athletic guard Zach LaVine.

Instead, they were hoping to attach Ricky Rubio with the fifth overall pick, which turned out to be Kris Dunn of Providence, in a deal for Butler.

The Bulls were uninterested in acquiring Rubio, and a deal was not able to be made on draft night.

But, with the Timberwolves acquiring Dunn, already having LaVine in place and Tyus Jones playing so well during the Summer League, taking home MVP honors in Las Vegas, it would make sense that they would shop Rubio again.

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But, that does not seem to be the current course of action in Minnesota. According to owner Glen Taylor, Rubio is expected to remain with the team and he does not see a trade as a likely scenario when talking with the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

"“I just think the coach, everybody, likes Ricky,” Taylor told the Star Tribune. “I think we want him to come in and improve on his shooting. But his other things, he plays defense, he gets assists, he helps the others get better. He has some wonderful qualities.”"

Rubio’s shooting percentage is the only thing currently holding him back from reaching the upper echelon of NBA point guards. Rubio does not have to be defended by opposing teams, as he is just not a threat to score the ball.

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Rubio is a career 36.8 percent shooter from the field, making 31.1 percent of his three-point attempts. There is hope that he can turn things around though, as he is a career 81.5 percent shooter from the foul line, so there is a chance that he can improve from the field as well.

The Timberwolves are certainly hoping so, as Rubio shot 33.7 percent from three feet or more away from the basket last season. That is not what you want to see from your starting point guard, as they are usually able to spread the court for the rest of the offense.

His 51.7 percent at the rim is respectable, but he attempted only 120 of his 586 shots at the rim last season.

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At 6-foot-4, Rubio should be able to finish with ease over most point guards, but he does not have a jump shot that defenders have to respect, so they can sag off him and watch him brick jump shot after jump shot.

There is still time for Rubio to get a jump shot, as he is only 25 years old. He has three years remaining on his current contract with the Timberwolves, but there is a chance that he will not finish that deal in Minneosta.

When talking with Spain’s Catalunya Radio in an interview last month, Rubio said that he would “have to start thinking about teams that can get to the playoffs and win in the Finals” if the Timberwolves miss the playoffs again.

The Timberwovles are a hot pick to make the jump to the postseason this season, as they have put together an impressive young core with Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins, LaVine and Dunn.

Add in Shabazz Muhammad, Adreian Payne and Jones and the Timberwolves future is looking very bright.

New head coach Tom Thibodeau was brought in with the hopes that he would be able to make the parts jell together, while also helping Rubio improve upon his jump shot.

“I think the coach wants to bring an assistant coach to help Ricky on his shooting and I think that’s where we’re going to start out and go and we’ll see how good Kris Dunn is,” Taylor said to the Tribune.

The Timberwolves are certainly hopeful that Rubio will improve his jump shot, as it will improve their chances of winning games this season. Also, if he can show an improved jumper, the Timberwolves may have more teams lining up for his services.

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That, along with his contract that looks like a huge bargain because of the salary cap spike, with three years and $42,659,250 remaining, would make him an attractive trade target.