FanShot

The Ricky Rubio saga has been a maze of twists and turns as Minnesota and Rubio decide the best...

24

The Ricky Rubio saga has been a maze of twists and turns as Minnesota and Rubio decide the best course of action. Based on conversations with league sources this week, here's what we know about the Ricky Rubio saga: The 18-year-old badly wants to play in the NBA, a desire that only grew stronger while he had a limited role with his Spanish club, DKV Joventut. But he does not want to play with fellow point guard Jonny Flynn. That's not a knock on Flynn, whom Minnesota picked sixth after selecting Rubio fifth in last Thursday's draft. It's just that Rubio can't envision a scenario in which he and Flynn play together, as Minnesota general manager David Kahn suggested on draft night. Not when Rubio is a 6-foot-5 beanpole that a stiff breeze could knock over and Flynn is about 6 feet. Does Kahn want Rubio? Absolutely. He nearly made a deal that would have moved Minnesota up to No. 2 to draft him. Is he afraid that Rubio's buyout -- which increased from $4.4 million to $4.9 million after Rubio was drafted in the top seven -- will prevent Minnesota's top pick from playing in the NBA next season? Yes to that, too. Flynn is Kahn's insurance policy. The former Syracuse star is as NBA-ready as any point guard in the draft. He could easily win a starting job on a team that recently gutted its backcourt. But Rubio's camp is not about to put Rubio in a minutes-sharing situation with Flynn. It wants Flynn gone, and it has come to the bargaining table with a pretty big stick: the possibility that Rubio could sign a lucrative contract in Europe. Kahn sounds prepared for that. He has said all the right things, praising Rubio and his agent, the high-powered Dan Fegan, and talking about how he looks forward to the day when Rubio is in a Minnesota uniform. If that's this season, great. If it's next season, well, that's OK, too. Even two years is within Kahn's time frame. But there is a factor that may be getting overlooked. According to sources close to the situation, top European teams like Barcelona, Real Madrid and Tau Ceramica have been coming hard after Rubio. And there is a real chance that one of those teams will be willing to make the popular Spaniard the highest-paid player in Europe. The catch is that the teams pursuing Rubio don't want him for one or two years; they want a three- or four-year commitment. And they may get one. In four years, Rubio will be only 22. He will not only be stronger but also richer thanks to a multimillion dollar contract from a club that could potentially pay most or all of his buyout (the most an NBA team can contribute is $500,000). It's hard to see a downside. That leaves the Timberwolves with a choice: Do they run the risk of Rubio's signing an overseas deal that could potentially keep him out of Minnesota until 2013? Or do they trade Flynn and hope that Rubio can negotiate his buyout down to a more manageable number? Tough call. Stay tuned.

SI.com