Mark Cuban Would Trade for Ricky Rubio

When it comes to the Euro point guard, if the Timberwolves are willing to sell, Mark Cuban is definitely interested in buying. The Pioneer Press reports: “Cuban sees better days for the Wolves. ‘I think (Minnesota) has a star in the making in Ricky Rubio,’ Cuban said. Cuban, who has a passion for basketball, said he has seen the young Spaniard point guard play several times. The Wolves chose Rubio with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft when he was just 18 years old. The Wolves are confident Rubio will play for them next season. But if they want to trade him, Cuban said, they’ll have a buyer. ‘We’re very high on him,’ Cuban said. ‘If they want to give him up, we’re very interested. We would do that in a heartbeat.’ The year the Wolves drafted Rubio, the Mavs had the 22nd overall pick before trading down with Oklahoma City to No. 24 and taking center Byron Mullens from Ohio State. ‘We tried to trade up to get Rubio,’ Cuban said. ‘But we weren’t close. We would have loved to draft him.’ The 6-foot-4, 180-pound Rubio is averaging just 5.9 points, 4.3 assists and 23 minutes in 38 games for the [FC Barcelona] team in Europe this season. The Wolves are hoping to buy out his remaining contract for $1 million this summer.”