The 31-year-old Rubio is expected to replace Matthew Dellavedova as the veteran backup to Darius Garland at point guard after Dellavedova decided to return to his native Australia to play next season.
Rubio spent the first six seasons of his career with Minnesota before moving to Utah for two and then Phoenix for one before returning to the Timberwolves for the 2020-21 season when he averaged a career-low 8.6 points with 6.4 assists per game, playing twenty-six minutes a game which was also a career-low.
Rubio is currently playing for Spain in the Tokyo Olympics as their point guard.
Rubio isn't a great shooter ( only 39 percent for his career and 32 percent from three-point range) but he is an excellent passer with great floor vision and seems to be a good fit with a Cavalier team that could have big men that will need to see the ball that includes Kevin Love, who played extremely well with Rubio in Minnesota, Larry Nance Jr, Jarrett Allen (should Cleveland keep him from restricted free agency) and possibly Evan Mobley, should the Cavaliers select him as rumored in the draft.
Rubio will make 17.8 million next season as the final year of a three-year deal that he signed with Phoenix in 2019, which is an overpay for the production that Rubio gave the Timberwolves last season, but the Cavaliers had some space to squeeze Rubio under the cap and the expiring deal could give Rubio some value at the trade deadline next season.
Taurean Prince averaged ten points a game for Cleveland and just under four rebounds in twenty-nine games after being obtained with Jarrett Allen from Brooklyn in a mid-season trade.
Prince looked to be an odd man among forwards in Cleveland for next season and his contract was needed to make the trade work under the cap to land Rubio.
Ricky Rubio isn't going to turn the Cavaliers into winners, but he's a nice off the bench piece at this stage of his career, and considering the minimal cost to bring him into the fold, I'm OK with the trade.
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