The Minnesota Timberwolves are in talks with the Cavaliers and Bulls about Kevin Love, but Ricky Rubio also could be a trade target, as he may want a max contract extension and that could lead to a trade down the line if the two sides can't agree and teams like the Denver Nuggets, Milwaukee Bucks, Atlanta Hawks and Sacramento Kings could be interested in making a move.
According to Pro Basketball Talk, Rubio and his agent may be looking to ask for a five year max contract when he is up for an extension and that could eventually lead to the team making a move. The Wolves love Rubio and know that he is the biggest star past Kevin Love, but so far in his career he has not been worth a max deal. This season October is the deadline for him to sign the extension and if not he will be a restricted free agent next summer and while teams may try to make offers for him, chances are the Wolves will match.
The idea of trading Rubio doesn't make much sense now with the way things are going with Kevin Love, but down the line if he gets too expensive and the team needs to make a move, they may have no other choice but to do it. Flip Saunders and Rubio have spoken initially about trying to keep Love in Minnesota, but clearly that will be nearly impossible to happen with how deep talks have gotten with the Cavaliers. The Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls are the top two teams looking to deal with Love and right now the Cavs are the front runners, as they are offering Andrew Wiggins in their package.
The Wolves may not see him as a starter right away, but Zach LaVine could be a reason why they eventually trade Rubio, as he has shown this summer he has some skills. LaVine put on a show in a summer dunk contest and he is young coming out of UCLA and has heaps of potential. The team selected the Bruins point guard in the first round with the 13th pick and many thought he would be a top 10 pick and that is one reason why the Wolves jumped on him. Rubio is 23 years old and LaVine is just 19 and that gives the Wolves a solid backup if a trade ever goes down.
The Timberwolves made a move in free agency to help add some scoring to the team, bringing in Mo Williams on a deal after previously playing with the Trail Blazers. Williams is a solid option off the market, as he was one of the biggest names left and now he is in on a one year deal and will be paid just under $4 million. This comes after he was close with the Dallas Mavericks and now he is signed by the Wolves and it comes after he averaged 9.7 points for a playoff team last season.
Adding Williams means the Wolves likely will be making a trade in the backcourt and it could be part of the Love deal, as names like J.J. Barea and Alexey Shved have been shopped along with Kevin Martin.
