Minnesota Timberwolves, Detroit Pistons To Exchange Ricky Rubio and Reggie Jackson?
It is just a month away from the National Basketball Association's trade deadline for 2017 and the rumors keep on coming. Recently, it has been suggested that the Minnesota Timberwolves and Detroit Pistons are negotiating to exchange point guards Ricky Rubio and Reggie Jackson.
According to ESPN, the media outlet has "league sources" that say the two teams sat down for a dialogue last week but came up with no deal on Friday.
It was also mentioned that the Timberwolves and Pistons were not only negotiating for Rubio and Jackson. The two teams were reportedly talking about a multiplayer trade with the two point guards as the main exchange.
In 2014, Rubio and Minnesota signed a multi-year extension contract for four more years starting in the 2015-16 season worth $56 million. Rubio's season stats are currently at 7.9 assists, 7.7 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. Jackson, on the other hand, has a lower record of 5.6 assists but his 16.9 points per game make up for it. He still has three more seasons with the Pistons.
This is not the first time Rubio's name appeared on the trading block. ESPN notes that Minnesota has been "openly trying" to trade Rubio along with the veteran Spanish point guard, Shabazz Muhammad.
Meanwhile, the coaching team of Minnesota has been giving their rookie guard, Kris Dunn, some playing time recently as he is expected to rise up as the team's future point guard once Rubio is out, ESPN noted.
Other reports suggest, however, that Rubio would be a great fit for the New York Knicks. According to Daily Knicks, while many see Rubio as a below-average type of point guard, the facts cannot be denied that he brings in the 13th best offense in the league.
The report added that Rubio's offensive strength lies more on his expertise in passing the ball around. That being said, his presence and the fact that he's more inclined to running the offense while not demanding more points under his name would be a great complement to New York Knicks' Kristaps Porzingis and Carmelo Anthony.
