Report: Rubio, Timberwolves far apart in extension talks
Timberwolves General Manager Milt Newton admitted earlier this week that the team and Ricky Rubio, who can be signed to an extension before October 31 or become a restricted free agent next summer, haven't yet seen eye-to-eye on an extension. However; the GM also said that he was optimistic an extension deal would finish before the Halloween deadline.
It may have been just that, though - optimism - because according to Jerry Zgoda of the St. Paul Star Tribune, the T-Wolves and Rubio, "are a good distance apart on negotiations toward an extension."
Rubio is among the game's best point guards on the defensive side of the ball and as a play maker for his teammates, but the 23-year-old has been an atrocious shooter early in his NBA career. Rubio has shot under a career 37 percent, including 32 percent from three-point territory, which doesn't bode well for his camp's reported preference for a max contract.
In a league stacked with star point guards, a rebuilding team like the Timberwolves, or any team for that matter, can't afford to pay max money for one who can't shoot.
Unless Rubio & Co. drop their reported asking price or Flip Saunders suddenly begins to view Rubio as a max level player over the next month or so, restricted free agency for Rubio seems extremely likely.