Does this trade make sense for the Cleveland Cavaliers?
While Taurean Prince and Cedi Osman have carved out roles in the Cavaliers’ rotation this season, this trade does make a lot of sense for them. The Cavs have a strong, young backcourt duo in Sexton and Garland, as well as a strong frontcourt system with Kevin Love, Jarrett Allen and Larry Nance Jr, but they do not have much depth in their backcourt, nor talent on the wing.
With a projected Top-5 pick in this year’s draft, the Cavaliers will likely look to address one of these two areas, but if they can get a solid, veetran guard like Ricky Rubio, then they can turn their focus to adding more talent on the wing in the draft.
Over the course of his career, Ricky Rubio has not lived up to the expectations of being a better player than Steph Curry, especially since he was drafted above Curry, but overall, he has turned himself into a reliable guard who is more than capable of being a floor general.
Not to mention, he is an above-average defender who could fit nicely into the Cavaliers system that revolves around hard-nosed defense. Rubio has averaged 11.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, 7.7 assists and has shot 39% from the floor over the course of his career, making him a very reliable and trust-worthy backup point guard behind Garland and Sexton for the Cavaliers.
RELATED: NBA Trade Rumors: This Celtics-Clippers offseason trade is centered on Kemba Walker
Not only is Jarrett Culver another young and athletic talent that Cleveland could add to their rotations, but he has a lot of potential to grow into something special. He has never really been given opportunities to prove himself with the Timberwolves, but in Cleveland, he could immediately move into a key backup/second-unit role, giving him 20-25 minutes per night.
Giving up a second-round pick in 2022 also does not affect the Cavaliers much, especially since they would have three other total picks in 2022. Overall, this is not a bad trade at all for the Cavaliers and it allows them to address their key needs now and moving forward.
