Minnesota Timberwolves: Pros and cons of Ricky Rubio-Taurean Prince trade
By Ben Beecken
Pro #1: The Minnesota Timberwolves save nearly $5 million in cap space
The best-case scenario here is that Gersson Rosas and the Wolves front office are still able to pull off a blockbuster trade for a big name. Think Ben Simmons, Myles Turner, John Collins, or Pascal Siakam.
In that scenario, Prince would almost certainly be included, and the Rubio-for-Prince trade would be irrelevant outside of the bonus second-round pick in 2022.
The worst-case scenario is that Prince remains on the roster in the fall and the Wolves have an extra $4.8 million in free agency to add another piece. Minnesota should now have enough space to sign a new player to the max mid-level exception, which is roughly four years and $40 million.
Prince would add to the Wolves’ stable of forwards and while they would still need to add another point guard to the roster, Prince isn’t a bad overall fit in terms of what he brings to the Wolves offense.
Speaking of…
Pro #2: Taurean Prince improves the Minnesota Timberwolves’ shooting
There’s no question about it, swapping Rubio for Prince improves the Wolves’ perimeter shooting.
After shooting a career-best 36.1 percent from outside the arc for the Phoenix Suns in 2019-20, Rubio slipped to just 30.8 percent last season, his worst mark in four years.
Prince, on the other hand, shot 40 percent from deep last year, albeit in just 41 games between Brooklyn and Cleveland. In 2018-19, he shot 39 percent on 3-point attempts with Atlanta.
Prince’s catch-and-shoot numbers over the last four years are great, however:
- 2020-21: 39 percent
- 2019-20: 35.8 percent
- 2018-19: 42.8 percent
- 2017-18: 42.1 percent
That’s exactly what Prince will be tasked with in the Wolves’ offense. He won’t be asked to do much else at all and will carry a fairly low usage role.
Let’s try to come to an overall verdict on this trade…