NBA Rumors: Chicago Bulls To Acquire Ricky Rubio From Timberwolves

The Chicago Bulls are in need of bringing in more talent this offseason if they want to get back into playoff contention next season. They were able to snag Denzel Valentine in the 2016 NBA Draft, but that will not be nearly enough. Derrick Rose was traded to the New York Knicks, but that left the Bulls without a true point guard.

Jose Calderon and Jerian Grant were both acquired by the Bulls from New York, but neither is ready to be a true starting point guard at the NBA level. There are some players in free agency that could make sense, but there is one player in particular on the trade market who the Bulls could target to take their starting role immediately.

John Buhler of FanSided opined that the Bulls could look to acquire Ricky Rubio from the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Last season with the Timberwolves, Rubio ended up averaging 10.1 points, 8.6 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game. He shot just 37.4 percent from the field overall and knocked down 32.6 percent from behind the three-point arc. Rubio is not known for his offensive prowess, although he is an excellent playmaker for his teammates.

At 25-years-old, Rubio still has a lot of time to turn his career around. He has not lived up to the hype that surrounded him when he was originally drafted with the No. 5 overall pick back in the 2009 NBA Draft. Chicago would be getting the type of point guard who could run Fred Hoiberg’s offense, and perhaps his offense would come back to him with a change of scenery.

Chicago is hoping to get back in playoff contention this season and decided to hold onto star shooting guard Jimmy Butler despite a lot of trade interest in him during the draft. Calderon and Grant are capable of being depth pieces, but Rubio would give the Bulls the creator they need.

Minnesota likely will not be asking for too much in return for Rubio. They won’t deal him just to make a trade, but the Bulls have some pieces that could interest Tom Thibodeau. Pieces like Doug McDermott, Taj Gibson, Nikola Mirotic, Tony Snell, and Bobby Portis could all come into play.

There are a lot of teams that could use a point guard like Rubio heading into the 2016-17 season. He will be heading into his second year of the four-year contract he signed with the Timberwolves, which could intrigue the Bulls even more. Having a young talent like Rubio with control for the next few seasons would be huge.

Reports have come out that the Timberwolves and Bulls discussed a potential Rubio trade during the 2016 NBA Draft. A deal didn’t end up happening, but that is due in part to Minnesota asking for Butler in return. If Minnesota came back and asked for one of the smaller pieces mentioned above, there is no question that the Bulls would consider the deal.

All of that being said, it will be interesting to see what the Bulls do moving forward. Trading for a point guard could be in the cards, and there are not many players better than Rubio available at this point in time.

Expect to hear a lot of rumors surrounding the Bulls in the next week or two as the offseason gets underway. Rubio is likely to be moved ahead of the season, and Minnesota will be shopping him heavily. Don’t be surprised if a deal gets done involving Rubio, and it wouldn’t be shocking if it was Chicago on the receiving end.

Do you think the Chicago Bulls should try to acquire Ricky Rubio from the Minnesota Timberwolves? Let us know your thoughts in the comment box below!

[Photo by David Zalubowski/AP Images]