The Ricky Rubio for Derrick Rose trade talks between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the New York Knicks are heating up. Does this blockbuster deal happen?
Two teams that are increasingly likely to miss the NBA Playoffs are engaging in a deal to swap starting point guards. The Minnesota Timberwolves have sputtered under big expectations for 2016-17. The New York Knicks continue to be dysfunctional in the Eastern Conference.
Will the Knicks and Timberwolves orchestrate a deal involving New York point guard Derrick Rose and Minnesota point guard Ricky Rubio? According to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical of Yahoo! Sports, Rubio remains a primary target for the Knicks.
Minnesota's Ricky Rubio remains a significant target for the Knicks today, league sources tell @TheVertical.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 23, 2017
ESPN’s Marc Stein, meanwhile, reports that the primary holdup in a Rose-for-Rubio trade is the Knicks, who want more from Minnesota than just Rubio.
The Knicks, sources say, are pushing for an additional piece from Minnesota in the Rubio/DRose talks and that's been the holdup this week.
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) February 23, 2017
Are Rubio and Rose comparable NBA point guards? That’s debatable, but it would seem this deal can’t happen straight-up due to their current contracts. Rose is in the final year of a deal he initially signed with the Chicago Bulls. His expiring contract would work in Minneapolis, but Rubio is under contract for the next three seasons.
That should mean the Knicks have to send the Timberwolves another player or asset to smooth out the deal involving Rose and Rubio, but that doesn’t appear to be case based on Stein’s sources.
Trading for Rose on an expiring contract hasn’t worked out like the Knicks have hoped. He could go to Minnesota and play out the rest of this contract, while Minnesota head coach Tom Thibodeau gradually works rookie point guard Kris Dunn into the starting lineup.
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For New York, Rubio would add stability to the starting lineup. He’s a pass-first point guard, unlike Rose. Rubio would be a great player to pair alongside star power forward Kristaps Porzingis for the next few years. Maybe Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek, a former NBA sharpshooter, can fix Rubio’s inconsistent jump shot.