Ricky Rubio of the Minnesota Timberwolves could see himself donning a new jersey soon if reports from the Daily News is spot on that the Spanish guard is up for trade.
Rubio has been hampered by injuries for the past seasons but the real reason for a possible trade is Zach LaVine.
While many perhaps know LaVine as the 2016 National Basketball Association (NBA) Slam Dunk king, the 20-year-old guard has been doing fine as a point guard for the T-Wolves. Such was the expectations from him even before the season started with interim coach Sam Mitchell looking at him to step up.
So far, LaVine has been answering the challenge and has technically displaced Rubio from his usual starting role.
Rubio is still churning out an incredible performance, but seeing him and LaVine battling for minutes could be a bad idea. Instead, the T-Wolves may be better off trading him to a team that is in dire need of a point guard, a possible win-win situation if Minnesota can strike a deal.
A fit destination would be the New York Knicks who have been endlessly looking for a point guard. While they do have Jose Calderon, the ball club is looking for a guard who can do more than just spot up and shoot.
With Rubio, things can happen. He is an excellent passer and can create situations. He could be a perfect complement to Carmelo Anthony and rookie Kristaps Porzingis, not to mention Phil Jackson's answer as far as making the NBA postseason wars is concerned.
The Knicks were earlier considering Brandon Jennings (Milwaukee Bucks) and Ty Lawson (Houston Rockets) to fill in the gap but with Rubio in the mix, it would make a lot of sense to get the 25-year-old guard instead.
The only drawback right now is that Rubio will not come cheap. Even though the Knicks have the salary space, absorbing that $42 million contract could be a stumbling block. The fit would have been perfect, but spending that much could douse water on Rubio being traded to the Knicks or any other team for that matter.
