Following the 2014-15 NBA season, veteran point guard Ricky Rubio will become a restricted free agent. The Minnesota Timberwolves have shown interest in signing Rubio to a contract extension, but it’s clearly not priority number one at this point in time.
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The Timberwolves have until Oct. 31 to sign Rubio to contract extension and as of right now the two sides appear to be far apart in discussions on a new deal. If Rubio doesn’t sign an extension, and all indications point to that being the case, the 23-year-old will be restricted heading into free agency next July.
The Los Angeles Lakers and New York Knicks are two teams that will have the cap space and could make a run at Rubio, according to Darren Wolfson of ESPN:
Re: Rubio, @Adam_Kuhn @2_Shoe – #Twolves would do a 4-yr deal in $42M range. That hasn't changed. Agents see NYK/LAL w/ cap space next year.
— Darren Wolfson (@DarrenWolfson) September 23, 2014
With the Timberwolves still having more than a month to sign Rubio to an extension, the Spanish import could still secure his long-term future with the team. Although there’s a chance Rubio stays in Minnesota, the team recently made a sign-and-trade offer to the Phoenix Suns for Eric Bledsoe.
It appears that the Timberwolves are exploring their options after making the blockbuster trade to send Kevin Love to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Adding Bledsoe to the mix in Minnesota could be a game-changer for a team trying to put a promising young team together around top overall pick Andrew Wiggins.
As for the Lakers, the storied franchise acquired Jeremy Lin this past summer to address their issues at the point guard position. If Lin doesn’t turn out to be the answer for the Lakers, Rubio could be an option for Los Angeles in July.
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