Ricky Rubio Rumors | Hoops Rumors

International Notes: Rubio, Abrines, Flynn, Anderson

June 8th, 2025 at 10:53pm CST by Eli Cohen

Ricky Rubio has clarified that his somewhat enigmatic social media post last week was not a retirement message, writes Cesare Milanti of Eurohoops.net.

“This isn’t a farewell. It’s simply a thank you. It comes from my year of reflection, and I wanted to do something that’s rarely done: to thank those who have been or are important to you. But it has no other message,” Rubio said.

However, just because the posts weren’t specifically intended as a farewell, that doesn’t mean he’s officially coming back.

“Everything is open. I might play again – why not? – or I might not, and that wouldn’t be a bad idea either,” Rubio said. “It’s something I’d like to consider in the near future. For now, I just wanted to say thank you and also see how it affects me as a person, and if it gives me energy to move in one direction or another.”

Rubio ended his NBA career in January 2024 and returned to his home country of Spain, where he finished the season with Barcelona. He didn’t play for Barcelona this season after taking a hiatus for mental health reasons.

We have more from around the world of European hoops:

Former Thunder wing Alex Abrines is seriously considering retirement, reports Eurohoops (via Twitter). The 31-year-old current captain of Barcelona played 17.6 minutes per game this season in EuroLeague play while averaging 4.6 points per contest.
Malachi Flynn is in advanced talks with the Turkish team Bahcesehir, reports Sport24 via Sportando. The former first-round pick, who had a 50-point game for the Pistons last season, could be closing in on a deal approaching $1MM after making just four appearances for Charlotte this season.
Dubai BC is gearing up to make a serious offer for Justin Anderson, reports Chema de Lucas (via Twitter). Anderson, who played 242 NBA games from 2015 to 2022, has spent the past two seasons in the Liga ACB. He averaged 6.9 points in 19 minutes per night during Barcelona’s EuroLeague play this season. As Dubai seeks to improve its roster, Anderson looks to be one of the club’s top targets.

And-Ones: All-Star Game, Rubio, Draft Sleepers, Broadcasters

June 5th, 2025 at 8:56am CST by Luke Adams

Asked during an appearance on FS1’s Breakfast Ball (Twitter video link) whether a U.S. vs. the World format for the All-Star Game is something the NBA could implement as soon as 2026, league commissioner Adam Silver replied, “Yes.”

Silver cautioned that nothing has been set in stone yet, but that plan has been set in motion, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press, and the NBA believes the timing makes sense. There was significant interest in the men’s basketball event at the 2024 Paris Olympics that featured a star-studded Team USA taking on NBA stars from other countries, and the 2026 All-Star Game will air on NBC while the network is also broadcasting the Winter Olympics.

“What better time to feature some form of USA against the world?” Silver said on FS1. “I’m not exactly sure what the format will be yet. I obviously paid a lot of attention to what the NHL did (with its ‘4 Nations Face Off’ All-Star event earlier this year), which was a huge success. … But also, going back, last summer, our Olympic competition was a huge success.”

As Reynolds writes, the biggest sticking point for the NBA is that approximately 70% of the NBA’s players are American, with just 30% from other countries. So even though some of the game’s biggest stars – including Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Luka Doncic – could represent the “world” team, a format that requires 12 non-U.S. players to be named All-Stars would likely result in some glaring snubs among U.S. players.

Here are more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Veteran point guard Ricky Rubio, who announced his retirement from the NBA in January 2024, played for Barcelona at the end of the 2023/24 season before taking ’24/25 off. The 34-year-old Spaniard published a message on social media on Thursday that could be interpreted as either a hint at his retirement as a player or a signal that he isn’t done yet. “I took this year to reflect on my career and my life, and I’ve realized that if I’ve gotten to where I am today, it’s not because of the assists I’ve given, but because of the assists I’ve received,” Rubio wrote (via Twitter). “This isn’t a goodbye, it’s a thank you to all the people who have helped me along the way.”
Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo Sports identifies seven of his favorite “sleepers” in this year’s draft, naming UNC’s Drake Powell, Gonzaga’s Ryan Nembhard, Kentucky’s Koby Brea, and four others as prospects capable of outperforming their probable draft slots.
Richard Deitsch and Andrew Marchand of The Athletic dig into the NBA’s media landscape, with Marchand noting that the league’s new partners, Amazon and NBC, will be keeping an eye on players nearing the end of their respective careers who might be interested in transitioning to broadcasting. That group includes Draymond Green, Stephen Curry, and LeBron James, according to Marchand, who adds that Steve Kerr would qualify too if he moves on from coaching in the coming years.

Cavaliers Stretched Rubio’s 2024/25 Cap Hit

September 3rd, 2024 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cavaliers used the stretch provision to spread Ricky Rubio‘s $1,274,015 dead-money cap hit for 2024/25 across three seasons, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link). Rubio will now count against Cleveland’s books for $424,672 annually through ’26/27.

Rubio was bought out by the Cavaliers last January with two years left on his contract, announcing at that time that his NBA career was over. He gave up $5.4MM in that agreement, leaving Cleveland with cap charges of $3,722,327 for 2023/24 and $1,274,015 for ’24/25.

The Cavaliers didn’t use the stretch provision on Rubio’s post-termination salary at the time of his release, but as Marks explains, the current Collective Bargaining Agreement allowed them to stretch the second-year salary across three seasons as long as they did so prior to the Saturday (August 31) deadline. Under the previous CBA, using the stretch provision was only permitted at the time of the waiver request.

The move generates an extra $849,343 in cap flexibility for Cleveland this season. That may not seem like much, but it gives the club a little extra breathing room below the luxury tax line as the front office negotiates a deal with Isaac Okoro. If the goal is to re-sign Okoro to a multiyear contract, sign a 14th man to a minimum-salary deal, and remain out of tax territory, that extra $849K could come in handy.

The Cavaliers are now approximately $10.6MM below the luxury tax line, meaning they could offer Okoro a first-year salary of roughly $8.5MM and avoid becoming a taxpayer. That would allow them to go up to about $27.5MM for three years or $38.1MM over four years for the last unsigned restricted free agent on the market.

Even if they end up going slightly into tax territory to fill out the opening night roster, reducing Rubio’s 2024/25 cap hit will make it easier for the Cavs to duck the tax with a trade later in the season.

Ricky Rubio Reportedly Signing With Spain’s Joventut Badalona

July 21st, 2024 at 6:56pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Longtime NBA guard Ricky Rubio is reportedly signing with Spanish club Joventut Badalona, Eurohooops.net relays.

According to Jordi Valle Simo of EFE Deportes, Rubio is returning to the team where he began his professional career in 2005. He spent his first four seasons in Badalona.

After agreeing to a buyout with the Cavaliers and retiring from the NBA in January, Rubio signed with Barcelona in February on a one-year contract. After his Spanish team lost to Real Madrid in the Liga ACB semifinals, he expressed uncertainty about his basketball future.

“These months, I’ve felt strange; I’ve wanted to change some things,” Rubio said. “Coming in the middle of the season is not easy, my way of being, more reserved and not feeling 100%. I don’t think I’ve been everything I expected, but I didn’t have any expectations either, but it’s clear that the balance is not good.”

By rejoining Joventut Badalona, Rubio will continue playing in the ACB League. Last season, he made 13 EuroLeague appearances and averaged 17 minutes on the court, posting 4.7 points, 4.3 assists, and 3.2 rebounds per game. He also played 15 Liga Endesa games for Barcelona, averaging 6.0 PPG, 4.1 APG, and 3.1 RPG.

And-Ones: West, Finals Predictions, Spain, Hezonja

June 6th, 2024 at 4:01pm CST by Rory Maher

Former NBA guard Delonte West was arrested in Virginia on Thursday morning on misdemeanor charges of violating the conditions of his release and resisting arrest, ESPN’s Baxter Holmes reports. West is being held on a $2,000 bond at the Fairfax County Detention Center. An arraignment is scheduled for Friday morning.

Local police say they spotted West around 1 a.m. ET and attempted to serve a warrant. West allegedly fled and was found unresponsive after police lost track of him during the pursuit, per Holmes.

According to the Faifax County police, West was administered Narcan — which is used to treat overdoses — but it didn’t have the desired effect. Narcan was administered a second time after West was transported to a hospital, and the second dose was effective.

The former St. Joseph’s guard discussed his struggles with bipolar disorder while he was playing and he has battled substance abuse in recent years, Holmes notes.

West, 40, played eight NBA seasons from 2004-12. In 432 career regular season games, he averaged 9.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.1 steals in 27.4 minutes per contest.

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

While the Celtics are the betting favorites to win the NBA Finals in 2023/24, ESPN’s panel of experts believes the Mavericks will emerge victorious and claim their second championship. Nine voters selected Dallas, with eight going for Boston, so it was a very slim margin.
The Spanish basketball federation announced its preliminary 22-player roster ahead of the country’s Olympic qualifying tournament this summer, per Eurohoops. While the team features several former NBA players, Santi Aldama (Grizzlies) and Usman Garuba (Warriors) are the only two who finished the 2023/24 season on 15-man rosters. Former NBA guards Ricky Rubio and Sergio Rodriguez are among the noteworthy players who are not on Spain’s 22-man roster.
Former NBA wing Mario Hezonja, who is on Croatia’s preliminary roster for its qualifying tournament in Greece, is nearing a contract extension with Real Madrid, per Ramón Álvarez de Mon of La Galerna (Twitter link). The fifth pick of the 2015 draft, Hezojna last played in the NBA in 2019/20. A report in March said the 29-year-old was “aggressively exploring” the viability of a return to the league.

And-Ones: Rubio, Williams, Porzingis, Bertans, Parity

June 3rd, 2024 at 9:38pm CST by Dana Gauruder

After retiring from the NBA in January, Ricky Rubio signed with Barcelona in February on a one-year contract. The longtime NBA point guard is uncertain about his basketball future after his Spanish team lost to Real Madrid in the Liga ACB semifinals, Eurohoops.net relays. Rubio said he’ll need a few weeks to clear his head and decide what he wants to do next.

“These months, I’ve felt strange; I’ve wanted to change some things,” Rubio said. “Coming in the middle of the season is not easy, my way of being, more reserved and not feeling 100%. I don’t think I’ve been everything I expected, but I didn’t have any expectations either, but it’s clear that the balance is not good.”

We have more from around the basketball world:

Trevion Williams is reportedly in advanced talks with Barcelona, according to Sportando’s Alessandro Maggi. There is already a “pre-agreement” in place, pending the final decision on the hiring of the new coach. Williams, who played collegiately at Purdue, was waived by the Warriors during their 2022 training camp. He played for a German team this past season.
Latvia’s national team has unveiled its preliminary 24-man roster for the Olympic qualifying tournament, according to Eurohoops.net. Kristaps Porzingis heads the list of players, which also includes another NBA notable, Davis Bertans. Porzingis stated on social media last week that he was looking forward to playing with his national team this summer.
Parity has become the new norm for the NBA, The Athletic’s John Hollinger writes. The championship continues to change hands every year and lower seeds have a legitimate chance to make a deep run. Hollinger concludes that if a contender is good enough to get to the second round, anything can happen.

And-Ones: Olympic Qualifiers, Rubio, R. Miller, All-Star Weekend

February 18th, 2024 at 4:01pm CST by Luke Adams

FIBA has officially announced the schedule for this summer’s Olympic qualifying tournaments, which will determine the final four men’s basketball teams who will compete for gold in Paris. Each of the four tournaments will tip off on July 2, with the finals taking place on July 7.

The four qualifying tournaments are being played in Spain, Puerto Rico, Latvia, and Greece, with 24 teams vying to advance to the 2024 Olympics. The results of those tournaments will determine whether we get the opportunity to see a handful of notable NBA stars – such as Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece) and Luka Doncic (Slovenia) – playing in Paris.

A total of 12 men’s basketball teams will compete at the Olympics and eight of those spots have already been claimed. Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Serbia, South Sudan, and the U.S. have punched their tickets to Paris. Details on the other 24 teams competing in the qualifying tournaments – and how they’ve been split up – can be found right here.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

Ricky Rubio may make his season debut with Barcelona on March 1 when the team faces AS Monaco in EuroLeague play, as Kevin Martorano of Sportando relays. Rubio announced his retirement from the NBA in January, but remains on track to make a comeback in his home country, having signed with Barcelona earlier this month. Teammate Alex Abrines mentioned March 1 as a possible target date for the veteran point guard.
TNT Sports and analyst Reggie Miller have reached an agreement on a multiyear contract extension, according to a press release from the company. Miller is in his 19th season with TNT Sports and will continue to be part of NBA broadcasts for the network for the foreseeable future.
A current Pacer and a former Pacer earned honors at the secondary events at All-Star weekend in Indianapolis. Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin was named the Rising Stars MVP on Friday while Magic two-way guard Trevelin Queen earned MVP honors in Sunday’s G League Up Next game (Twitter links via the NBA). Queen spent most of the 2022/23 season on a two-way contract with Indiana.

Ricky Rubio Signs With Barcelona

February 6th, 2024 at 12:20pm CST by Arthur Hill

FEBRUARY 6: Rubio has officially signed a rest-of-season contract with Barcelona, the team announced today in a press release.

The veteran point guard isn’t prepared to return to the court at this point. However, the EuroLeague has a February 7 registration date for players changing teams or being imported from other leagues, so if Rubio had signed sometime after Wednesday, he wouldn’t been eligible to play in the EuroLeague this season. Now he’ll have the opportunity to do so if he decides to move forward with his comeback.

JANUARY 29: After retiring from the NBA earlier this month, Ricky Rubio will begin training with Barcelona as he begins his basketball comeback, according to Reuters. The Spanish club announced that he will join them for a workout on Tuesday, and Rubio confirmed on Twitter that he is ready to return to basketball after dealing with mental health issues.

“After several weeks of thinking and dedicated work on both my mind and body, I see myself with the desire and strength to see how I react with a ball in my hands,” Rubio wrote. “My next step has been to ask FC Barcelona if I could, with no obligations and without interrupting their plans for the season, train with them.”

The 33-year-old point guard spent 11 years in the NBA, but he missed significant parts of the 2021/22 and ’22/23 seasons while recovering from a torn ACL. He announced in August that he was taking a break from basketball to concentrate on his mental health, which meant he wouldn’t represent Spain in the FIBA World Cup and he wouldn’t join the Cavaliers for training camp or the start of the NBA season.

Rubio agreed to a buyout with Cleveland in early January that effectively ended his NBA career. He was owed about $3.5MM for the rest of this season and had a $4.25MM partial guarantee for 2024/25, and he reportedly gave up $5.4MM in the agreement.

Rubio was a teenage star with Barcelona before coming to the NBA, leading the team to two Spanish Cups, one league title and one European championship. He was selected by the Timberwolves with the fifth pick in the 2009 draft, but didn’t begin his NBA career until two years later.

Rubio earned first-team All-Rookie honors in 2012 and spent six years in Minnesota before being traded to Utah in 2017. He also spent a year with Phoenix and returned to the Wolves for a season before finishing his career in Cleveland. He appeared in 698 total games, making 603 starts, and posted career averages of 10.8 points, 4.1 rebounds and 7.4 assists per night.

In an interview with Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, Rubio talked about the difficulties he faced in returning to Spain after the Cavaliers were eliminated from last season’s playoffs. Rubio couldn’t identify the cause of his depression, saying it went beyond the difficulties of his lingering knee injury, but he called July 30 “one of the toughest nights of my life. My mind went to a dark place.”

“I was lost. I didn’t know who I was. I had to rebuild myself,” he said. “I think eventually a lot of people have that point in their life that has to rebuild them because they have lost the focus on the purpose of their life. Luckily, I stopped it in time.”

Wolves Notes: Defense, Status, Jones, Rubio

January 7th, 2024 at 8:26pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Following consecutive losses for the first time this season, Timberwolves coach Chris Finch decided to show his team on film how it defended when playing at peak performance, rather than the mistakes made against the Knicks and Pelicans. It paid off, as Minnesota rolled to a 122-95 win over Houston on Friday night.

“It’s good to see it too, to be like, ‘OK, that’s fun,’ center Rudy Gobert told Chris Hine of The Star Tribune. “When we play like that, it looks good. That’s the team that we want to be. That’s the team people fear.”

The Timberwolves’ defensive rating of 108.3 is tops in the league.

We have more on the Wolves:

Those back-to-back losses showed Minnesota that it now has a target on its back, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. “We’ve gotten a lot of positive press over the last month or so, and teams are going to come in to give us their best shot,” guard Mike Conley said. “They want to see what we’re made of. They want to see who we are. And we can’t let all that positivity on things we’ve had go our way the last couple of months make us complacent.”
Former Timberwolves guard Tyus Jones is having the best offensive season of his career with the woeful Wizards and Jim Souhan of the Tribune argues that Minnesota should pursue a trade for Jones to solve one glaring issue — the need for an experienced, efficient backup point guard.
In a subscriber-only story written by Hine, Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns shared stories about former teammate Ricky Rubio, who announced his retirement from the NBA. “I got so many moments with Ricky. I’m blessed to be able to say that,” Towns said. “Ricky has done a lot for me as a basketball player, and I’m forever grateful for that. But what he’s meant to me as a man and making me a better man, a better human being, is something that is priceless. It’s something that truly is why he’s special to so many of us in the NBA community.”

Ricky Rubio Gave Up $5.4MM In Cavs Buyout

January 6th, 2024 at 1:34pm CST by Luke Adams

Veteran point guard Ricky Rubio gave up $5.4MM in his buyout agreement with the Cavaliers, according to reports from Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, Keith Smith of Spotrac, and Bobby Marks of ESPN (all Twitter links).

That’s a significant portion of the remaining guaranteed money that was owed to Rubio, who initially had a salary of $6,146,342 for 2023/24 and a $4,250,000 partial guarantee for ’24/25 (his full cap hit for next season would have been $6,439,025).

While Rubio had earned a prorated portion of this season’s salary, he was still owed about $3.5MM in 2023/24, along with his $4.25MM guarantee for next season, for a total of $7.75MM. He’ll receive approximately $2.35MM of that total, but the Cavaliers will recoup the rest, giving the team some extra cap flexibility this season and next.

As Marks notes, Rubio’s new cap hit this season is approximately $3.7MM and he’ll be on Cleveland’s books for about $1.3MM in ’24/25. The Cavaliers’ team salary this season had been about $752K below the luxury tax line prior to the buyout, but that cushion has increased to approximately $3.2MM, Marks adds.

That extra flexibility puts the Cavs in position to immediately sign one or two players to their roster to fill out their 15-man squad. Now that the 10-day contract window has opened, Cleveland may opt for short-term additions for now, maintaining some roster flexibility ahead of the trade deadline, but the team technically has enough breathing room below the tax to add two minimum-salary players for the rest of the season.

Since teams are only permitted to carry fewer than 14 players on standard contracts for up to two weeks at a time, Cleveland will have to make at least one roster addition by January 18, two weeks after officially parting ways with Rubio.