Recent rumors have emerged that Ricky Rubio could be traded to the San Antonio Spurs soon as the Minnesota Timberwolves' starting point guard is said to be looking to revive his career and wants to join a title-contending squad.
The 25-year-old Spanish point guard had an awesome start to his NBA career back in the 2011-2012 season when he almost won the Rookie of the Year award, placing second to eventual winner Kyrie Irving of the Cleveland Cavaliers.
He averaged 10.6 points, 8.2 assists, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.2 steals in 41 games that time, quite impressive for an NBA freshman, before he tore his ACL and lateral collateral ligament trying to defend Kobe Bryant in March of 2012, ruling him out for the rest of his rookie season.
Rubio came back just nine months later and suited up for the Wolves for 57 games in his sophomore year, still encompassing the whole statistical spectrum with averages of 10.7 points, 7.3 assists, 4.0 boards, and 2.4 steals.
He remained consistent statistically year after year, pouring out great numbers across the board, but Minnesota cannot seem to break out of their playoffs slump as Rubio has yet to taste his first postseason appearance after five years in the league.
Rubio is allegedly out of patience as he recently commented that he will "have to start thinking about teams that can get to the playoffs and win in the Finals" if the Wolves will still miss the playoffs this coming 2016-2017 season, as per ESPN.
Meanwhile, Sports Illustrated's Jeremy Woo suggested that a move to San Antonio is not the worst thing that could happen to Rubio if he really wants to experience playing in the playoffs.
Woo noted that "the Timberwolves team Rubio held the keys to is never coming back" with Kevin Love no longer in the picture and Karl-Anthony Towns and Kris Dunn projected as the future of the franchise.
The Spurs would be Rubio's ideal destination if he want a full career revival as he can gradually replace the aging Tony Parker and could also improve his mediocre outside shooting, his only known weakness so far, with assistant coach Chip Engelland helping him with his jump shot.
Plus, the presence of compatriot Pau Gasol in San Antonio would make the transition much easier for him.
As for the Spurs, Rubio is set to become "the best pure passer to come through Gregg Popovich's Spurs program", according to Woo, which is good for the squad who prioritizes the team first before individuals.
