MINNEAPOLIS (AP) – The Minnesota Timberwolves reached an agreement with Utah on Friday to send point guard Ricky Rubio to the Jazz to clear salary cap space for a big run in free agency, according to two people with direct knowledge of the deal.
The Jazz sent the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 2018 first-round draft pick to the Timberwolves in exchange for Rubio, a talented Spaniard who has struggled with injuries at times over his six years in Minnesota. Utah received the pick when it traded Enes Kanter away as part of a three-team deal in 2015.
The two sides agreed to the move hours before free agency opened. They two people spoke on condition of anonymity because neither team had announced the move. The Jazz needed to make the deal before July 1 or would have lost the salary cap room necessary to pull it off.
They Jazz are looking to bolster the roster with hopes of convincing All-Star free agent Gordon Hayward to return and build off last year’s playoff run. Utah hadn’t previously reached the playoffs since 2012.
Rubio’s arrival likely means the end of George Hill’s run in Utah, though general manager Dennis Lindsey said Wednesday that Hill remained a top priority. Hill averaged a career-high 16.9 points after being traded from the Pacers to the Jazz last summer. Injuries, however, limited him to 49 games and caused Hill to miss the final three playoff games against the Warriors.