5 winners and losers from the Ricky Rubio trade to the Utah Jazz

Loser: Ricky Rubio

For the depressing side of the trade, we turn to the man in the middle of the spotlight, himself: Ricky Rubio.

Some may view Rubio heading to Utah as a good thing for his career, as it allows him to go start in a spot where he’ll have the opportunity to shine, whereas he may get overshadowed by a potential free agency signing if he stayed in Minnesota for the next year. However, looking at the current roster the Timberwolves are building up, you can’t help but feel bad for the guy.

You just went from a team that has plenty of loaded, young talent in their lineup, and finally has a chance to contend in the Western Conference after years of coming up short, to a team that won’t be going very far in the next few years.

Add in the fact that you’ve been with this team for your entire NBA career and haven’t seen the playoffs once in that entire eight-year stretch, and it makes it a little more upsetting. The team will definitely have a chance to make a run next year, if not be a serious threat, and you’ll likely be on the outside looking in on what could’ve been.

As a positive for Rubio, his new team actually made some noise in the postseason a few months ago, as the Jazz knocked off the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round before falling to the Golden State Warriors in the second round. To stomp that hope back into the ground, their star player, Gordon Hayward, likely won’t be returning to the Jazz next season, and the talent level may not be there for a return to the playoffs.

Unfortunately for Rubio, he’s a loser in a deal centered around him, and that can’t feel good.