Deal or No Deal? Rubio Extension Faces Midnight Deadline

Ricky Rubio and the Timberwolves have until midnight to reach an agreement on a contract extension. If the two sides cannot come to terms he will become a restricted free agent in July.

At that point he's officially eligible to sign an offer sheet with any other team (if he so desires). The Wolves can match any offer Rubio may receive, but it only takes one team to screw everything up. His price tag and appeal on the open market may also increase substantially if he has the breakout season the Wolves envision.

Ideally, the team and Rubio will strike a deal at some point today and never get to that stage. As of now there's nothing especially new to report. Darren Wolfson continues to suggest that the Wolves want a deal in the neighborhood of $52 to $54 million, and that ultimately it's on Rubio to accept the offer.

Said 4/$52M is what Wolves will do. Maybe 54. On Rubio to say yes. RT @1500ESPN .@DarrenWolfson says Rubio will accept 4-years, $58M.

— Darren Wolfson (@DarrenWolfson) October 31, 2014

At first it was made to look like a 4-year, $58 million deal was in the works, but Wolfson quickly refuted that.

If I had to make a prediction, I'd say a deal gets done today. I'll say $4-years, $54 million, including incentives that could push the deal a few million dollars higher -- though I'm probably more hopeful than anything. Rubio has previously stated that his contract negotiations distract him and the Wolves don't need their leader to be distracted. That seems like a fair offer for both sides too, given Rubio's current skill level, ability for growth, and the future salary cap spike. We'll see what happens...

If you're interested in seeing the contracts of other NBA point guards, this is a good site to browse. If you're looking for a quick laugh, check out how much the Nets are paying Deron Williams. Yikes.

Around the League

• Alec Burks got paid handsomely by the Jazz, according to Woj.

Yahoo Sources: The Utah Jazz's Alec Burks has reached agreement on a four-year, $42 million extension. http://t.co/nxTWC7JnNf

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) October 31, 2014

• Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard is unlikely to sign a deal by the deadline, according to Marc Stein.

This will be the official thread to discuss anything surrounding the Rubio negotiations, as well as other players around the league in the same situation. This is the place to get your feelings out and say what you will about Rubio. Grab a cup of joe and stay tuned, this might go right up until the midnight deadline.

ICYMI:

Rubio dunked last night in pre-game warmups. He looked really happy about it afterwards.