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Minnesota Timberwolves: Interest in Ricky Rubio, Free Agency Report

By Paul Bellesen

Apr 13, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Ricky Rubio (9) looks to pass the ball around New Orleans Pelicans guard Toney Douglas (16) in the first half at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 13, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Ricky Rubio (9) looks to pass the ball around New Orleans Pelicans guard Toney Douglas (16) in the first half at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /
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With NBA Free Agency starting last night at midnight, there has been a speculation that Minnesota Timberwolves point guard Ricky Rubio will garner trade proposals as the free agent class thins out.

With the free agent class having maybe four or five starting point guard caliber players, expect teams to panic when they do not get the free agent they were hoping for and the interest in Rubio will grow more and the offers will get better.

Now that Mike Conley and Jeremy Lin have already signed the free agent pool is decreasing fast. A Sporting News article yesterday mentioned that the Minnesota Timberwolves received interest around the draft but what the teams were offering was not enough.

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Sean Deveney mentions what an NBA General Manager said about the Rubio situation.

"“Check back around July 10, July 15,” an NBA general manager told Sporting News. “Once teams are left holding the bag, he’s going to be a pretty big target. They will get better offers, better ones than they have been.”"

With the contracts being signed in the last 24 hours by free agents, Ricky Rubio’s $13M a year contract will look like pennies on the dollar in comparison. With multiple years left on that deal, he will be one of the better bargains around the league.

It seems that Thibodeau knows Rubio’s worth and is not going to give him away for nothing. The statistics when Rubio was on the floor last season in comparison to when he was not, were noticeable with almost a 10 point jump in offensive rating.

If a good deal comes across Thibodeau or Layden’s desk, do not expect them to turn it down. While drafting Dunn and handing him the starting job right away would not be ideal, if a nice piece at power forward to put next to Towns or a nice perimeter shooter was offered up, they might take the deal and run with it.

We will have to wait to see what happens, as the deals get made across the league.

The Timberwolves have been linked to multiple players today. Here is a list of the names that have been confirmed to have had contact with the team on the free agency front.

  • Luol Deng
  • E’tuawn Moore
  • Kent Bazemore
  • Willie Reed
  • Brandon Bass
  • Anthony Toliver
  • Courtney Lee
  • Bismack Biyombo
  • Pau Gasol

There has been a lot of interest in players so far, but there has been no talk of advanced negotiations as of yet. The Deng interest seems real though. Honestly, every player that has been linked to the Timberwolves so far would be a nice addition to this team.

Next: Minnesota Timberwolves Free Agency Primer

We will see what happens soon enough. In Thibs We Trust?

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