New Timberwolves boss Tom Thibodeau selected Providence point guard Kris Dunn with the fifth-overall draft pick on Thursday night.
When the evening began, it seemed unlikely that Kris Dunn, whom many teams believed to be the third-best prospect in the entire draft, would be available for the taking at #5.
The Boston Celtics shook things up, however, taking Cal forward Jaylen Brown at #3. Dragan Bender would have been an option at #5 as well, but the Phoenix Suns took him at #4.
There was never much steam surrounding the raw Marquese Chriss and the Wolves, so the selection at #5 was no longer just down to Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield and Kentucky’s Jamal Murray, but Dunn was in the mix as well. And much of the pre-draft, Wolves-related conversation was surrounding the Providence guard.
Dunn was selected, and the Ricky Rubio rumors immediately began to fly.
Minnesota has been shopping Ricky Rubio throughout the week. His future in Minnesota is likely coming to an end.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 24, 2016
There was a brief period of Jimmy Butler trade rumors that could have involved Rubio, Zach LaVine, Kris Dunn, or some combination of all three. Ultimately, however, a trade was not consummated — at least not on this night.
It seems that Dunn is in Minneapolis to stay, or, at least through the next 60 days or so until teams are allowed to trade new draft selections. So what does that mean in regards to the roster, free agency, and specifically, the future of Ricky Rubio?
I think it’s important to recognize that there can be a middle ground. All of the following can remain true…
- Ricky Rubio is the Timberwolves’ starting point guard on opening night come this fall.
- Rubio and Dunn can play limited minutes together in 2016-17.
- Dunn upgrades the backup point guard position from the LaVine/Andre Miller/Tyus Jones mess that it was in 2015-16.
- Dunn is more than likely the “point guard of the future”.
- Thibodeau and Scott Layden are leaving options open to eventually consummate the best trade available with either Rubio or Dunn.
Sure, it isn’t great that Thibodeau and Layden apparently just sent an inferred middle finger to Rubio. But it’s also inescapably clear that the backup point guard position is an area of need for Minnesota, and a lineup including Rubio/Dunn/Andrew Wiggins/Gorgui Dieng/Karl-Anthony Towns would be virtually impenetrable in short bursts.
More from Dunking with Wolves
- The dream starting 5 for Minnesota Timberwolves 5 years from now
- Anthony Edwards’ latest accolade is a great sign of things to come
- In an OT thriller, Team Canada snatches Bronze from Team USA
- Timberwolves start, bench, cut: Mike Conley, Shake Milton, Jordan McLaughlin
- Which Timberwolves roster additions have upgraded the bench?
No, Dunn and Rubio will not work together in long stretches, and they aren’t a synergistic fit. One will eventually need to be moved. But that doesn’t mean that a) it will happen in the coming days, weeks, or even months, or b) the trade value of one of the two players will not be greater than the ultimate value of whomever else Minnesota could have picked at #5, whether it would have been Hield, Murray, or someone else.
Was Dunn in my top-five picks for the Wolves? No. Was he in the top-five for the majority of NBA front office, who are the folks that technically set the values of players? Apparently.
It’s refreshing that the Timberwolves’ front office took the best player available and didn’t look back. Taking Hield or Murray may have left some value on the board.
Yes, we’ll have to see how things play out in the coming weeks and months, but it’s hard to be too up in arms regarding Thursday night’s draft. The Wojnarowski tweet is really the lone reason to be concerned, but if requisite value is recouped for Rubio, the gnashing of teeth should quell immediately.
Let me be clear: Ricky Rubio is a top-ten point guard, and barring a Mike Conley signing in free agency or a completely off-the-wall trade, the Wolves will not receive the level of quality point guard play in 2016-17 that they did in 2015-16. That does not mean, however, that Thursday night did not play out in a way that will maximize the value of the #5 selection.
Next: Three Trade Possibilities For Ricky Rubio
And that’s okay. We absolutely can have it both ways as it stands today, in late June. Things may change, and if Rubio is traded for pennies on the dollar I’ll be the first to call out the new regime. But it would be irresponsible to jump to that conclusion immediately.
We’ll simply have to wait and see, Wolves fans.