Timberwolves agree to trade Ricky Rubio to Cleveland for Taurean Prince, 2022 second-round draft pick

Jul. 30—Ricky Rubio's return stint in Minnesota lasted all of one year.

Rubio was acquired by the Timberwolves on NBA draft night in 2020, and dealt away on draft night in 2021. Minnesota agreed to trade the veteran point guard to Cleveland for Taurean Prince, a 2022 second-round pick and cash, a source confirmed. The deal — which was not made official Thursday — was Minnesota's form of activity on an NBA Draft night in which the Timberwolves didn't have a single pick for the first time in franchise history.

Prince gives Minnesota more shooting, something NBA teams can never have enough of. He is a 37-percent 3-point shooter for his career and hit 40 percent of his shots from deep last season.

Prince played 41 games in the 2020-21 season between Brooklyn and Cleveland and had season-ending ankle surgery in April, but he recently posted on his Instagram that after his procedure, he's feeling the best he's felt since 2018 and is experiencing no pain running or walking and is in a better place mentally.

The 6-foot-7 forward is 27 years old. Where exactly he'll fit into the Timberwolves' rotation — either as a wing off the bench or, perhaps, the team's starting power forward — remains to be seen. Power forward continues to be something Minnesota aims to address.

"I wouldn't necessarily just say power forward, but bigs position in general and just getting bigger as a team overall to address some of our defensive weaknesses, rebounding and how we want to play," said Timberwolves president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas, who couldn't speak specifically about the unofficial trade. "It's something we consistently look at. Whether it's the draft, trades, free agency, it's a priority for us."

Rubio's season in Minnesota was a mixed bag. The 30-year-old Spaniard struggled to find his rhythm playing alongside a new cast of characters, and the two-point guard lineups featuring Rubio and D'Angelo Russell were rarely successful.

But, more importantly, Rubio was Anthony Edwards' primary mentor. Edwards credited Rubio on countless occasions for aiding in his development during a scintillating rookie season. Another year with Rubio likely only would have ensured Edwards continued down the proper path toward stardom.

"I'm growing and learning every day from Ricky (Rubio). Just trying to watch what he does. I feel like he's a great leader on our team. If I keep learning from Ricky, I feel like I'll be in a good position," Edwards said in March. "I'm taking bits and pieces from Ricky, and he keeps telling me stuff that I don't know, and he's helping me grow and learn. ... He's the best leader I've been around, and I feel like it's great for me to be able to learn from him."

But Rosas noted that, at the end of the day, Edwards is his own man with special talent.

"There's been a number of individuals who have really helped and supported him this year. But at the same time, we all know the only constant in this business is change, maturation, growth and development," Rosas said. "We've got a great support system in place here for not only Ant, but KAT, all our top players, whether that's on the court or off the court, whether that's the roster. But unfortunately in all of our business, change is a reality. Our guys understand that. Any moves that we make, any changes that we make are to get better. As a group, as an organization, we're not where we want to be at. Until we get to that point, there's going to be change, there's going to be challenges, there's going to be growth and there's going to be development. It's just part of the process."

Dealing the point guard gives Minnesota added shooting and a little more wiggle room in terms of cap space. And Rubio's $17.8 million salary for the 2021-21 campaign is difficult for a cap-strapped team to justify for its backup point guard.

Prince is set to make $13 million this season — $4.8 million less than Rubio. That creates added space below the luxury tax line, freeing up Minnesota to use more of its mid-level exception when free agency hits next week. The Timberwolves also could use some of that space to sign 2020 first-round draft pick Leandro Bolmaro.

Rubio has starred for Spain early in Olympic competition. He scored 26 points on the strength of five triples in Spain's 81-71 win over Argentina in pool play competition Thursday.