Ricky Rubio Agrees To 4-Year, $55 Million Extension
The NBA draft class of 2011 just added its 10th member to the club of players who have received big contract extensions this summer. Just hours before the Oct. 31 midnight deadline for contract extensions, Ricky Rubio agreed to a four-year, $55 million contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves, as first reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports:
Minnesota’s Ricky Rubio has reached agreement on a four-year, $55 million-plus contract extension, a league source tells Yahoo Sports.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 1, 2014
Last week Rubio and his agent Dan Fegan declined a four-year, $48 million offer from the Wolves, per Sean Deveney of Sporting News. This deal isn’t the five-year max that the 24-year-old Spaniard wanted, but being paid nearly $14 million a season is not a bad compensation prize.
As the floor general of Minnesota’s offense, Rubio is an excellent passer and playmaker who averaged 8.6 assists per game last season. His shortcomings as a shooter have definitely held him back, since he’s a career 36.8 percent shooter through his first three years in the league, but with Kevin Love gone, Rubio looks to be a foundational piece moving forward.
After Kemba Walker received a four-year, $48 million extension with the Charlotte Hornets, the market price was all but set for Rubio, a point guard who similarly struggles with his efficiency from the floor. Rubio’s deal is also comparable to what Eric Bledsoe is making with the Phoenix Suns after signing a five-year, $70 million extension this summer.
Despite his problems with his shot, Rubio is a good rebounder for his position, a passable defender and a defensive playmaker, averaging 2.3 steals per game over his first three seasons.
Personally, this deal feels like a little bit much for a guard who’s on pace to be one of the worst shooters in NBA history, but now that Rubio finally looks healthy following his ACL tear in 2012, he will get an opportunity to rewrite that script and guide the Wolves through their current rebuilding project.