Minnesota Sports Forum

I think this should be a good complimentary thread to all the Rubio speculation that will be ongoing. This thread assumes that the Wolves brass believes that Dunn is the franchise point guard and has zero chance to mesh with Ricky and will legitimately give the Wolves a shot to bring the Wolves to the playoffs next season. I don't think that last part can be stressed enough when considering Rubio's future. If not Dunn and not Rubio this season, a stop gap will need to be incorporated into the equation.

Next we need to find a reasonable trade partner for him. He is regarded by many who think he should be traded as a flawed player that would not mesh well with other point guards. Given that this league is in the midst of a point guard renaissance, many teams have a good point and could not consider bringing Ricky on unless its a swap. If it can't work for the Wolves, it can't reasonably work for others. That said, here is what I came up with:

Brooklyn: Nothing of interest. Basically would be a salary dump or a 3 way with Lopez going elsewhere.

Chicago: Needs a pg. Hoiberg is reportedly a fan. Butler is off the table. They probably wouldn't trade for Ricky if they were dealing Butler anyway. Rubio for a signed and traded Noah and a protected first, preferably the Kings pick. Requires free agent point guard signing.

Dallas: One of Rubio's biggest fans. They would gladly take him on. With the possible separation of Parsons and Dallas it seems plausible that a Rubio for Parsons trade could be done. It would likely require a max deal for Parsons but keep in mind that it would be minus Ricky's salary. This could work since Parsons can shoot although he can be streaky. He can also initiate the offense in a pinch. Another S&T option.

Houston: Another one of Ricky's biggest fans. D'Antoni would probably like his potential to push tempo. Rubio for Beverley, Terence Jones and a 1st. Beverley could be a suitable stop gap for Thibs.

Memphis: Seems possible that Conley wants to move on. Rubio would be a natural replacement that would appease Gasol. This would be a complicated 3 way trade with Conley going somewhere else and player x coming to Minny from that team.

Milwaukee: Kidd wants him. Would need to be ready to move Middleton. Rubio and Bazz for Middleton

New Orleans: They have Holiday but he makes Ricky look like a man of steel. A Rubio for Holiday and a return of Minnesota 2nd round pick swap makes a ton of sense. Holiday is on a one year deal, the definition of a stop gap. Nawlins gets Ricky for a couple extra years and he would be a great fit with A.D. and Buddy. Holiday could end up being a good backup option for Dunn going forward.

Philadelphia: Zgoda says they have kept tabs on him. They still have a glut of bigs and a desperate need for a floor general. Rubio for Noel, right to swap picks with Sacramento in '17 and the Nets '17 2nd rounder.

Sacramento: Rondo probably is leaving. Rubio for Cauley-Stein and Casspi. Collison is probably a no go at this point.

Utah: Could use an upgrade. Rubio and Bazz for Burks and Hill.

Dark Horse option - Charlotte - They do have Kemba but perhaps the Hornets might want to mix it up and move him to the 2 and let him focus more on scoring. Rubio for a signed and traded Batum. Would require signing a vet pg like Augustin for transitioning purposes.

This is pretty much it for the Rubio market unless you think some team is open to trading starting point guard for starting point guard.

Atlanta: Doubt it
Boston: Doubt it
Cleveland: Nope
Denver: Doubt it
Detroit: Doubt it
Golden State: Nope
Indiana: Nope
Clippers: Nope
Lakers: Doubt it
Miami: Doubt it
New York: Probably but its too soon
Oklahoma City: Nope
Orlando: Maybe
Phoenix: Maybe
Portland: Nope
San Antonio: Nope
Toronto: Doubt it
Washington: Nope

Not a lot of great options. Something to keep in mind when discussing Rubio's future.

Just realized a pick swap with Kings would be useless if the team has to give their pick to Atlanta. Bleh.

Nice work, Phenom! I can't come up with anything better, but I can't get excited about any of those options. Here are my thoughts on each scenario:

1. Chicago deal for Noah and protected 1st. I don't see Noah agreeing to this unless he's otherwise willing to sign here as a FA in which case we might as well just sign him. Moreover, it's been reported that Noah is in line for max money and I don't think the Wolves should or would pay him max money.

2. Dallas deal for Parsons. I'm not a big fan of Parsons for our team and I don't see Parsons agreeing to come here when he can otherwise sign with a more immediate contender or stay where he's presumably happy.

3. New Orleans deal for Holiday and return of our 2nd round pick. Not enough return for
Rubio in my view.

4. Sixers deal for Noel and right to swap 1st round picks with Sacramento. Actually like this one because Noel would upgrade our front court defense with a young guy who can grow with our young core and because I think the Kings will have a higher pick than the Wolves. But I don't see the Sixers doing this deal. Simmons may be their point guard.

5. Utah deal for Burks and Hill. Interesting, but doesn't excite me.

6. Kings deal. I think the Kings would do this deal in a heartbeat. But the Wolves shouldn't. I don't think the deal makes us much better and I wouldn't want to do anything to help the Kings.

7. Milwaukee deal. This is my favorite. But I think Jason Kidd has already cast his lot with the Greek Freak as his PG. I also recall a report that the Bucks turned down a proposed Rubio-Middleton swap. So I don't see the Bucks going for this deal.

Lip, you wouldn't consider WCS? He's not the same player as Noel right now but fits the same mold with a little more offensive upside. Only one year into his rookie contract also. I know he had an underwhelming year, but SacTown is a place nobody can succeed. I think it's the best out of any of those options. I'm not opposed to keeping Rubio either but i think they will at the very least listen to offers if not seek offers out.

Duke -- I'm not a WCS fan. I remember the main rap on him coming out of college was that he had an inconsistent motor and lacked passion for the game of basketball. Those issues are show-stoppers for me. I see WCS settling in as an end-of-bench guy an possibly out of the League in 5 years or less. So that deal in my view doesn't really bring us much value. I could definitely be wrong about him, but I'm just going with my gut on this.

Phenom's scenarios all assume that Thibs has concluded that Dunn is our franchise PG and that we can make the playoffs without Ricky. I like those assumptions in the spirit intended -- that is, to form the premise for considering various trade scenarios. But I don't think Thibs has yet reached that conclusion so I don't see him doing any of these deals this summer. Thibs seems like a "show me" kind of guy. That tells me he won't trade what he considers to be a good starting PG in Ricky before Dunn first proves he can produce as a starting caliber PG in the NBA. That's going to require a full season or at least a major chunk of the season leading up to the February trade deadline.

Duke13 wrote:Lip, you wouldn't consider WCS? He's not the same player as Noel right now but fits the same mold with a little more offensive upside. Only one year into his rookie contract also. I know he had an underwhelming year, but SacTown is a place nobody can succeed. I think it's the best out of any of those options. I'm not opposed to keeping Rubio either but i think they will at the very least listen to offers if not seek offers out.

Not just WCS but also Casspi. Dude adds toughness and 3 point shooting. I like Rubio a lot, and even I think that's a pretty good deal for him.

But none of these scenarios makes any sense until we determine if Dunn can be better than Rubio. This is all premature unless and until that happens.

I am a skeptic. I don't know if Dunn will ever be better then Rubio. I think Rubio will be one of those guys that will be good into his mid 30's and might even be better then he is now. i would listen to trade offers for Dunn at this point and if the right trade is offered make it. The only other what I trade Rubio is if I got a plan in FA. If Rubio was a Free Agent he would be the 2nd best one on the market.

I think the Bulls would have a lot to offer us. I would want either Mirotic or Portis as the centerpiece in return. Memphis would probably be the most interested, but they don't have anything to offer.

I would do Dunn for Porits and Valentine, but am curious if the Lakers are really looking to trade Russell. Would anyone else be willing to trade Wiggins for Simmons and fillers. .

bleedspeed177 wrote:I would do Dunn for Porits and Valentine, but am curious if the Lakers are really looking to trade Russell. Would anyone else be willing to trade Wiggins for Simmons and fillers. .

No. Simmons has some major holes in his game that are gonna be pretty big at this level (shooting and defense). Wiggins is already a 20 PPG scorer while getting more efficient and he still guards your best perimeter player every night.