Being a restricted free agent next summer means Ricky Rubio's future is not necessarily in his contract. The Minnesota Timberwolves point guard is the returning leader of a very young team that no longer has Kevin Love to anchor it on the court. Rubio becomes the team's x-factor and he would prefer to get paid as such. However, he might have to wait another year for that pay day if Minnesota does not offer it.

Right now, Rubio and the Timberwolves are in negotiations for a long-term contract with the point guard. With Love gone, Rubio's contract becomes the priority, but the two sides cannot seem to agree on just how much he is worth. Rubio wants a max contract from Minnesota and is not looking to budge on those demands. However, according to Sean Deveney of Sporting News, the Timberwolves are not looking to offer that up. Deveney writes that Rubio wants a five-year deal from Minnesota and the team is only offering up four years and $48 million. They believe a contract in the same realm as Stephen Curry's deal with the Golden State Warriors is what Rubio should be earning.

It does not help that it was being reported the Timberwolves were eyeing a max contract for Eric Bledsoe before he signed his deal with the Phoenix Suns. Minnesota reportedly attempted to strike a deal with the Suns for the point guard while they were disagreeing on a new contract, but ultimately Bledsoe stayed put. Rubio is very aware of his team's pursuit of someone else and now intends to hold them accountable to a max contract offer.

This negotiating war could continue. The deadline to get Rubio signed to a new deal is the end of October or else he is fully available to be a free agent. The issue is whether or not another team views the point guard as a max contract player. If no one else is willing to give Rubio the five-year deal, the Timberwolves will simply match any offer placed on the point guard. That could prevent any team from making an offer in the first place, similar to what Greg Monroe faced this offseason. Rubio would be wise to take the one-year qualifying deal if that is the case and wait one more season before becoming an unrestricted free agent.