Timberwolves: Playing something or nothing with MIN trade rumors
By Ethan Becker
Timberwolves potentially shopping Ricky Rubio
In an almost throw-away line in his most recent article for ESPN+, Brian Windhorst mentioned (ESPN+ paywall), “Collin Sexton of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Ricky Rubio of the Minnesota Timberwolves are among those who so far have been floated on the trade market.”
That’s it. No mention of who’s interested, who Minnesota is contacting, or what they’re looking for in return. Just a brief mention about how the team may be interested in moving the point guard who they traded for on draft night last year.
Though, honestly, this report shouldn’t come as any surprise to fans of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Rubio’s name had been floated around in trade rumors since the middle of last season, when his less than stellar performance in the season left fans more open to the idea of a trade than they would be had his play matched what he’d done with Utah or Phoenix.
Getting a little more specific, Adrian Wojnarowski reported on his podcast with Zach Lowe that the Lakers could look at Rubio if they lose Dennis Schroder in free agency.
The rumors come on the heels of a tumultuous season for Rubio and the Wolves. The team under-performed expectations, and only when Head Coach Chris Finch took over the reigns did it really feel like the team had some direction. That sense of direction is important, too, as Rubio once told Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic (Athletic paywall) that:
"“I don’t want to be on a team where there is no direction, there is no hope we can really take the next step…I believe we can take the next step and really be a solid playoff team. That’s why when I got traded to Minnesota I was excited. I thought this was the year. We wasted a year, but there is no more years to waste. If not, the rebuilding process is gonna start over again and I don’t think that’s a fun part to be a part of.”"
The quote certainly won’t sit right in the minds of Minnesota fans, should the team struggle out of the gate in the 2021-2022 season.