It seems like point guard Ricky Rubio's days with the Minnesota Timberwolves are already numbered.
The Spanish professional basketball player might be on the trading block this year, according to a blog post on ESPN.com.
Speculations that Rubio will be traded were all the more fueled when the Minnesota Timberwolves picked Kris Dunn as the No. 5 pick during last week's NBA Draft. Dunn is known for leading his team from New London to an undefeated season and then eventually to a state title as a junior.
According to ESPN.com, there are also some draft-night rumors that Rubio and other players being packaged for Chicago Bulls' Jimmy Butler, but unsurprisingly, the Bulls declined this offer.
Why exactly is Timberwolves president of basketball operations and head coach Tom Thibodeau likely to trade Rubio? In a column for Twin Cities Pioneer Press, former baseball player and now sports reporter Charley Walters said that the decision may have something to do with Rubio's underwhelming performance and his attitude.
Walters said Rubio, who has a $56-million contract, has been underperforming when it comes to shots from the perimeter.
"Rubio's inadequate outside shooting. He is not a legitimate three-point threat (31.8 percent during a five-year career) to defenses, and that would make it difficult for the Wolves to eventually become a legitimate contender for an NBA championship," the sports columnist said.
He added that Rubio has quite been open to the possibility of leaving the Timberwolves for another team, despite the fact that he is currently its highest paid player.
"Rubio's recent public desire to play elsewhere should the Wolves not soon become a playoff team hasn't endeared him to management. The Wolves probably are three years away from becoming an NBA championship contender," Walters added.
For ESPN, however, it might still be prudent for the Timberwolves to hold on to Rubio. Head coach Thibodeau actually thinks Rubio and Dunn can coexist on the floor.
"They have good size, they have good toughness," Thibodeau told ESPN. "It's a different look."
