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CLEVELAND, Ohio – Construction of the Cleveland Cavaliers summer team has begun.
About two hours before the start of the 2021 NBA Draft, the Cavs struck a deal with the Minnesota Timberwolves to acquire point guard Ricky Rubio in exchange for Taurean Prince, a second-round pick and money in 2022, according to reports. sources cleveland.com.
The Cavs plan to keep Rubio, and Minnesota will secure the 2022 Cleveland-owned Washington Wizards second round, sources say.
After a season in which they lacked reliable ball handlers, the Cavs prioritized a veteran playmaker capable of taking responsibility for the game of young guards – Darius Garland and Collin Sexton – while providing leadership and essential stability. Before the deal struck Thursday, the Cavs had Los Angeles Lakers free agent Alex Caruso and TJ McConnell of Indiana on their sights. This allows Cleveland to use its mid-level exception to meet another need when free agency opens in a few days.
Rubio, a 6-foot-3 goalkeeper, will fill the replacement role left by Matthew Dellavedova – the fiery fan favorite who signed a three-year contract with Melbourne United earlier this month. As part of her deal with the Australian club, Dellavedova, who was limited to just 13 games last season, can still explore her options as an unrestricted free agent, but her injury-wracked campaign may not lead to NBA offers.
Scheduled to be 31 at the start of the season, Rubio was acquired by the Timberwolves on draft day 2020, joining the organization that drafted him as a teenager with the fifth pick in 2009. This decision does not matter. did not go as planned. Rubio has averaged 8.6 points and 6.4 assists in 68 games, some of the lowest scores of his career.
Now entering the final season of the three-year, $ 51 million contract he originally signed with Phoenix, Rubio will reunite with coach JB Bickerstaff, who was a Minnesota assistant when Rubio came in from overseas, and Kevin Love. .
Currently playing for Spain at the Tokyo Olympics, Rubio has averaged 11.0 points and 7.6 assists during his career.
Prince is also in the final year of his contract which will pay him $ 13 million the season ahead. The swingman was acquired in the January trade from the Brooklyn Nets which also brought center Jarrett Allen to the Cavs. In 29 games with Cleveland, Prince averaged 10.1 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists, before undergoing a problematic ankle arthroscopy.
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