Patty Mills #8 of the San Antonio Spurs defends against Ricky Rubio #9 of the Minnesota Timberwolves during the third quarter of the game at Target Center on January 10, 2021 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Timberwolves defeated the Spurs 96-88. ((Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images))
MINNEAPOLIS - The team announced Tuesday they’ve traded Rubio to the Cleveland Cavaliers for forward Taurean Prince, a second round pick in the 2022 NBA Draft and cash considerations. The Timberwolves brought Rubio back to Minnesota in November of 2020. In 421 games and 384 career starts with the Wolves, averaged 10.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 8.1 assists per game. Rubio has played 10 NBA seasons with the Wolves, Utah Jazz and Phoenix Suns.
Rubio, drafted by Minnesota in 2009, played his first six seasons with the Timberwolves before being traded to the Jazz in 2017.
Prince, 27, has played in 301 games, starting 210, in six seasons between the Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets and Cavaliers. He’s averaged 11.3 points per game, shooting 41.1 percent from the field and averaging 4.2 rebounds.
He played in 41 games last year between Cavaliers and Brooklyn Nets last season, averaging 9.5 points while shooting 40 percent from the perimeter and getting 3.5 rebounds per game. Prince, a former Baylor standout, was the No. 12 overall pick by the Jazz in the 2016 NBA Draft.
NBA free agency started on Monday, and the Timberwolves were quiet while other teams across the league made splashes, signing star players to big contracts. For now, the future of the Wolves revolves around Karl-Anthony Towns, D'Angelo Russell, Anthony Edwards and possibly Malik Beasley.
Timberwolves front office head Gersson Rosas said earlier this offseason that the team, which didn't have a pick in last week's NBA Draft, would likely have to alter the roster via trade. The Timberwolves have long been rumored to try and make a deal for Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons, but the asking price remains high.