Report: Cavaliers Set To Part Ways With Veteran

He was a great spark for the team in the 2021-22 season before suffering a devastating ACL tear that wiped out the second half of his season. Since then, although Ricky Rubio has been in the hearts of the Cleveland Cavaliers players and fans, he hasn't been on the court very much. Now, word is that the 12-year veteran is considering retirement, and he and the Cavs are looking at parting ways.

The Cleveland Cavaliers and Ricky Rubio have begun discussing a potential parting of ways amid doubts about Rubio resuming an NBA career that has spanned 12 seasons, league sources say.

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— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 20, 2023

Rubio, 33, has yet to play this season as he manages mental health problems, and he got into just 33 games last year after recovering from knee surgery the season before. His impact was vastly reduced from before his ACL tear, dropping from 28 minutes to 17, and from 13 points and 6.6 assists to just 5 points and 3.5 dimes per night. 

The Cavaliers are in need of guards and a roster spot, as starting point guard Darius Garland is out for about a month with a broken jaw. They definitely want to do right by Rubio, who was a major part of the team's turnaround in that '21-22 season. 

He's still owed close to $10M for the remainder of this year and next, and they really have 3 options: 

1. Negotiate a buyout of a substantial portion of the contract 
2. Waive him and “stretch” the payments of his remaining salary over a longer period
3. Include his contract in a trade

If this is indeed the end, Rubio made a nice career for himself in the NBA, averaging 10.8 points and 7.4 assists in about 30 minutes a night. He was the 5th overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves. 

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