Report: 'Serious doubts' Cavaliers PG 'ever plays again'
Joe Vardon and Shams Charania of The Athletic reported Wednesday that there are "serious doubts" that Cleveland Cavaliers veteran point guard Ricky Rubio "ever plays again."
The insiders noted that Rubio, who has been on "permitted leave in Spain from the team since the summer as he manages his mental health," isn't expected to be back with the team this season.
As the Cavs deal with injury after injury and a lack of depth in their backcourt, the organization is reportedly trying to work on a possible "parting of ways" with the 33-year-old.
Rubio first joined Cleveland via trade in August 2021 (his fourth time being traded in just over four years) and returned to the Cavaliers on a three-year, $18.4M deal in July 2022, less than five months after he was traded to the Indiana Pacers. Rubio never suited up with the Pacers after he suffered the second torn ACL of his career in December 2021.
Per Charania and Vardon, he's making $6.1M this season, and his contract guarantees him $4.25M next season.
"The Cavs and Rubio’s representatives could negotiate a buyout of a substantial portion of the contract. They could also waive him and 'stretch' the payments of his remaining salary over a longer period, or, perhaps, include his contract in a trade," the report said.
"Cleveland’s front office wants to do right by Rubio, whom the organization still considers a major piece of the team’s resurgence during the 2021-22 campaign, when the Cavs went from the worst team in the NBA over the previous three years to a Play-In team."
The fifth overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft played his first six seasons with the Minnesota Timberwolves from 2011-17. Rubio then spent two years with the Utah Jazz and one season with the Phoenix Suns before returning to Minnesota for the 2020-21 campaign.
He announced in August, shortly before he was slated to suit up for Team Spain in the FIBA World Cup, that he was putting his playing career on hold to focus on his mental health. The Athletic report said that Rubio has been managing an "ongoing family issue" and "is not believed to be engaging in basketball activities to stay sharp."
Among the flurry of Cavaliers players who are currently dealing with injuries and/or ailments are starting point guard Darius Garland (fractured jaw), All-Star shooting guard Donovan Mitchell (illness), starting power forward Evan Mobley (knee surgery) and reserve shooting guard Ty Jerome (high-ankle sprain).
Mitchell is listed as questionable for the team's game against his former squad (the Utah Jazz) on Wednesday, and Jerome recently resumed basketball activities after not playing since October. Garland is reportedly facing an absence of more than one month, however, and Mobley is out for "possibly two months," per The Athletic.
Rubio returned from his second ACL tear in January and finished with 5.2 points, 3.5 assists and 17.2 minutes per game across 33 regular-season contests during the 2022-23 campaign. Before his season-ending injury two years ago, he was playing a critical role off Cleveland's bench and helped the Cavs roll to a 24-10 start. In 34 games prior to the ACL tear, Rubio averaged a career-high 13.1 points to go along with 6.6 assists, 4.1 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 28.5 minutes per game, with a .363/.339/.854 shooting line.
The Spaniard has long been regarded as one of the best teammates in the Association and has gained a reputation for bringing a positive impact to the locker room, regardless of whichever of the four teams he was with.
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