Rubio (personal) announced his retirement from the NBA on Thursday, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
Rubio stepped away from the Cavaliers before training camp to focus on his mental health and was unavailable for the start of the season. He agreed to a contract buyout with Cleveland on Thursday and later announced his NBA career has come to an end. The 33-year-old played 12 seasons in the league between the Timberwolves, Jazz, Suns and Cavaliers and averaged 10.7 points, 7.3 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.7 steals in 29.3 minutes per game.
Rubio (personal) agreed to a contract buyout with the Cavaliers on Thursday, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
Rubio has been away from the Cavaliers all season after he stepped away frwom the team prior to training camp to focus on his mental health. Though the veteran point guard is in the second season of a three-year, $18.44 million contract, he'll formally part ways with the club and likely bring an end to his 12-year NBA career. Rubio hasn't disclosed whether he plans to play professional basketball again, but if he does, it will likely be for a club in his native Spain. The Cavaliers can now use the open roster spot to add depth at guard or in the frontcourt while Darius Garland (jaw) and Evan Mobley (knee) are both without clear timelines to return to game action.
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Cavaliers' Ricky Rubio: Could be let go by Cleveland
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Rubio (personal) and the Cavaliers have recently begun discussing a potential parting of ways, Shams Charania and Joe Vardon of The Athletic report.
Shortly before he was expected to play for the Spanish national team in the FIBA Basketball World Cup, Rubio announced Aug. 5 that he was putting his playing career on hold indefinitely to focus on mental health. Cavaliers president of basketball operations Koby Altman then announced prior to the start of training camp in October that Rubio would remain away from the team, with Cleveland offering no timeline for the 33-year-old to resume playing. More than two months later, Rubio doesn't appear any closer to resuming his career, with Charania and Vardon reporting that, at a minimum, the veteran point guard isn't expected to play at any point during the 2023-24 season. The Cavaliers have been content to keep Rubio on the roster all season despite his return not being imminent, but with starters Darius Garland (jaw) and Evan Mobley (knee) facing long-term absences, the team is eager to open up Rubio's spot for a player who can contribute right away. Look for Rubio and the Cavaliers to come to terms on a buyout agreement in the near future. Rubio is currently in the second season of the three-year, $18.44 million deal he signed with Cleveland in the summer of 2022.
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Cavaliers' Ricky Rubio: Remains away from team
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Rubio remains away from the Cavaliers to focus on his mental health, Evan Dammarell of Locked on Cavs reports.
Rubio was excused from the Cavaliers' media day Monday. There is no timetable for a return, but president of basketball operations Koby Altman said that retirement is not currently on the table.
Rubio announced Saturday that he has "decided to stop my professional activity to take care of my mental health," ESPN.com reports.
Rubio's decision will almost certainly rule him out for the FIBA World Cup, but it is unclear if he will also miss the 2023-24 NBA season. If the veteran ends up sitting out this season, the Cavaliers will be thin at point guard behind Darius Garland, with Craig Porter and Ty Jerome being the likely candidates to receive backup minutes. At 32 years old, Rubio hasn't officially said he's retiring, but it's possible that his professional career is over.
Rubio is expected to receive playing time in Game 3 versus the Knicks on Friday, Chris Fedor of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
Rubio played just six minutes in Game 1 and received no playing time in Game 2. However, the Cavaliers reportedly want to lean on the veteran guard's experience in a hostile crowd at Madison Square Garden on Friday.
Cavaliers' Ricky Rubio: Coming off bench for Game 1
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Rubio won't start in Saturday's Eastern Conference First Round against the Knicks.
Rubio drew a pair of starts to close the regular season with the Cavs opting to rest their starters ahead of the playoffs but will rejoin the reserves for the team's playoff opener. Rubio should assume backup point guard duties behind Darius Garland on Saturday.
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Cavaliers' Ricky Rubio: Gets start at point guard
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Rubio will start Thursday's game against the Magic, Chris Fedor of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
With Cleveland resting its entire starting lineup, Rubio gets the nod at point guard and will be joined by Cedi Osman, Dean Wade, Lamar Stevens and Robin Lopez in the first five Thursday. This will be the veteran's first start of the season, but when he's played at least 20 minutes (11 games), he's averaged 7.0 points, 4.4 assists and 2.5 rebounds during those contests.
Cavaliers' Ricky Rubio: Limited playing time in win
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Rubio closed Tuesday's 117-113 win over the Magic with three points (1-6 FG, 1-3 3Pt), one rebound, two assists and one block over 11 minutes.
Rubio continues to play very few minutes, logging under 15 minutes for a third straight game. He remains well outside the top 250 for the season, and despite the upside in assists and steals, he doesn't even fit the bill as a streaming candidate outside of the deepest formats.
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