Minnesota Timberwolves guard Ricky Rubio reportedly wants a max contract from the team. Minnesota, meanwhile, supposedly is willing to trade star Kevin Love to the Golden State Warriors for Klay Thompson or to the Cleveland Cavaliers for rookie Andrew Wiggins.
ESPN 1500's Darren Wolfson reported Rubio's agent, Dan Fegan, is seeking a five-year max contract for the 23-year-old Spaniard.
Yes. Fegan aiming for 5-yr max. RT @BrianGaranich: @DarrenWolfson With all this Love trade talk, they actually talking w/ Rubio/his agent?
— Darren Wolfson (@DarrenWolfson) July 15, 2014
CBS Sports added former Timberwolves general manager David Kahn reportedly was holding the team's five-year "designated player" extension for Rubio.
Timberwolves president Flip Saunders making Rubio a max-contract player would certainly raise eyebrows. Rubio is a lockdown defender, but he isn't an elite point guard. Although he proved he could be a playmaker with his average of 8.6 rebounds last season, his scoring output - 9.5 points per game - makes giving him a cap-killing maximum contract questionable at best, especially as Minnesota appears headed to a rebuild with the likely loss of Love.
Minnesota needs to trade Love now to get the maximum value for him, but they reportedly are unwilling to move him for any deal that doesn't include Thompson or Wiggins.
"Lots telling me Wolves HAVE to move Love now," Krawczynski tweeted Sunday. "All I can say is they don't see it that way. No Klay. No Wiggins. No Love. Period."
Golden State appeared to come close to completing a deal for Love last month, but the talks stalled.
Cleveland, an option that reportedly piqued Love's interest after LeBron James signed, was considered another frontrunner for Minnesota's All-Star. The latest reports, though, indicate Cleveland is unwilling to move Wiggins.
"Sources say KLove remains 'intrigued' by chance to join LeBron with Cavs. I'm told Wolves, though, still asking for off-limited AWiggins," ESPN's Marc Stein tweeted Saturday.
The Boston Celtics have enough assets to possible entice Minnesota into trading Love, and Celtics president Danny Ainge reportedly is determined to land him.
