Is Ricky Rubio gettable…

[Celtics2021]

Strictly speaking, yes Boston could go out and get Rubio with their non-Jays stuff. However, it probably comes down to either sending out Smart or Thompson plus one of the worthwhile young guys, and I don't think either trade really makes sense.

Personally, I don’t think it would take that much.

The math kind of requires it. To take back Rubio over the off-season Boston has to send out about $14.15 million. Thompson+Grant+Carsen doesn't quite get you there, and there isn't really a good reason for Minnesota to do that anyway. Thompson almost certainly pushes for a buyout right away, so they have to get something out of it.

Ultimately, Rubio isn’t at all worth it.  That said, the Wolves are $3 million shy of the tax mark with 12 players on the roster, so it’s not crazy to think they wouldn’t be interested in even a small amount of tax relief, although that’s an easier sell with Thompson going to a third team.

Also, if done before the new league year starts, Thompson, Grant and Edwards would work from a salary perspective.

[bogg]

Strictly speaking, yes Boston could go out and get Rubio with their non-Jays stuff. However, it probably comes down to either sending out Smart or Thompson plus one of the worthwhile young guys, and I don't think either trade really makes sense.

Personally, I don’t think it would take that much.

The math kind of requires it. To take back Rubio over the off-season Boston has to send out about $14.15 million. Thompson+Grant+Carsen doesn't quite get you there, and there isn't really a good reason for Minnesota to do that anyway. Thompson almost certainly pushes for a buyout right away, so they have to get something out of it.

Ultimately, Rubio isn’t at all worth it.  That said, the Wolves are $3 million shy of the tax mark with 12 players on the roster, so it’s not crazy to think they wouldn’t be interested in even a small amount of tax relief, although that’s an easier sell with Thompson going to a third team.

Also, if done before the new league year starts, Thompson, Grant and Edwards would work from a salary perspective.

I don't think that Minnesota's #1 priority this summer is marginal payroll cuts, it's going to be big game hunting (Ben Simmons' name has come up, I'm sure they'll call on others) to convince KAT to stick around. Picking up an extra trade chip in one of Nesmith/Langford/Rob/Pritchard would further that goal, but I don't think splitting your one big expiring contract into a much smaller expiring contract with aggregation restrictions and two roster-spot-fillers helps any.

All that's to say I don't think you have much of a shot at getting Minnesota to open up their off-season with a Rubio dump if they don't get anything out of it. That's something they double back on at the end of the summer once everything else shakes out.

EDIT: It's much easier to go and get someone that fits into one of the trade exceptions for cheap (Rondo, DJ Augustin, Kris Dunn, Avery Bradley. Tyus Jones for less cheap) to push Pritchard for backup minutes than it is to put together the money for Rubio in a way that works for both sides.

[CBS_Take a Report]

Strictly speaking, yes Boston could go out and get Rubio with their non-Jays stuff. However, it probably comes down to either sending out Smart or Thompson plus one of the worthwhile young guys, and I don't think either trade really makes sense.

Personally, I don’t think it would take that much.

The math kind of requires it. To take back Rubio over the off-season Boston has to send out about $14.15 million. Thompson+Grant+Carsen doesn't quite get you there, and there isn't really a good reason for Minnesota to do that anyway. Thompson almost certainly pushes for a buyout right away, so they have to get something out of it.

Any concoction of transaction with Tristan Thompson included (even isolated by himself) works via RealGm.

[CBS_Take a Report]

Strictly speaking, yes Boston could go out and get Rubio with their non-Jays stuff. However, it probably comes down to either sending out Smart or Thompson plus one of the worthwhile young guys, and I don't think either trade really makes sense.

Personally, I don’t think it would take that much.

The math kind of requires it. To take back Rubio over the off-season Boston has to send out about $14.15 million. Thompson+Grant+Carsen doesn't quite get you there, and there isn't really a good reason for Minnesota to do that anyway. Thompson almost certainly pushes for a buyout right away, so they have to get something out of it.

Ultimately, Rubio isn’t at all worth it.  That said, the Wolves are $3 million shy of the tax mark with 12 players on the roster, so it’s not crazy to think they wouldn’t be interested in even a small amount of tax relief, although that’s an easier sell with Thompson going to a third team.

Also, if done before the new league year starts, Thompson, Grant and Edwards would work from a salary perspective.

Decide “it”.

Tristan Thompson could be the “it”. And you’re saying with the presence of Al Horford, Robert Williams III and Moses Brown for the big spot doesn’t make it (Thompson) expendable?

[Vermont Green]

Strictly speaking, yes Boston could go out and get Rubio with their non-Jays stuff. However, it probably comes down to either sending out Smart or Thompson plus one of the worthwhile young guys, and I don't think either trade really makes sense.

Personally, I don’t think it would take that much.

The math kind of requires it. To take back Rubio over the off-season Boston has to send out about $14.15 million. Thompson+Grant+Carsen doesn't quite get you there, and there isn't really a good reason for Minnesota to do that anyway. Thompson almost certainly pushes for a buyout right away, so they have to get something out of it.

Any concoction of transaction with Tristan Thompson included (even isolated by himself) works via RealGm.

The cap and trade rules can be complicated (I am no expert) but in this case, we are over the cap and we don't have a TPE that would fit Rubio.  That means we can only take back 125% of what we send out (plus $100,000).   So the "math" is that if we want to take Rubio at $17.8M, we need to send out at a minimum $14.14M.  I believe someone else came up with a similar number.

I do not believe we can trade Thompson for Rubio straight up (and I wouldn't want to add that much salary but that is another point).  We have an $11M TPE so we could get someone with that in a separate trade, package that $11M player with Thompson and get Rubio, which would effectively be Thompson for Rubio but we still end up adding about $8M while getting a player I don't really like for a player we don't really need.

Of all the parts of this deal, giving up Thompson is not the issue.  If Rubio's salary was the same as Thompson, maybe but we would add $8M to do the deal plus lose our TPE.  I see no reason to do this.

[Celtics2021]

Strictly speaking, yes Boston could go out and get Rubio with their non-Jays stuff. However, it probably comes down to either sending out Smart or Thompson plus one of the worthwhile young guys, and I don't think either trade really makes sense.

Personally, I don’t think it would take that much.

The math kind of requires it. To take back Rubio over the off-season Boston has to send out about $14.15 million. Thompson+Grant+Carsen doesn't quite get you there, and there isn't really a good reason for Minnesota to do that anyway. Thompson almost certainly pushes for a buyout right away, so they have to get something out of it.

Ultimately, Rubio isn’t at all worth it.  That said, the Wolves are $3 million shy of the tax mark with 12 players on the roster, so it’s not crazy to think they wouldn’t be interested in even a small amount of tax relief, although that’s an easier sell with Thompson going to a third team.

Also, if done before the new league year starts, Thompson, Grant and Edwards would work from a salary perspective.

Decide “it”.

Tristan Thompson could be the “it”. And you’re saying with the presence of Al Horford, Robert Williams III and Moses Brown for the big spot doesn’t make it (Thompson) expendable?

“It” being the cost of his $17.8 million salary, whatever assets are required to acquire him (expiring salaries count as an asset), and the loss of payroll flexibility due to having said $17.8 million salary on the books (be it confining us to the hard cap or the team’s internal budget) weighed against the marginal, if any, upgrade over Smart at PG, when our two biggest needs are a third scorer and someone who can give us at least 25 minutes a night at the 4.

[bogg]

Any concoction of transaction with Tristan Thompson included (even isolated by himself) works via RealGm.

Something's off with the settings there - Thompson straight up for Rubio shouldn't work under any interpretation of where Boston is re: tax or non-tax. Even if it were allowed you'd then run into budgetary issues next year bringing back Fournier and filling out the roster, and Fournier is a bigger need than Rubio.

[CBS_Take a Report]

Strictly speaking, yes Boston could go out and get Rubio with their non-Jays stuff. However, it probably comes down to either sending out Smart or Thompson plus one of the worthwhile young guys, and I don't think either trade really makes sense.

Personally, I don’t think it would take that much.

The math kind of requires it. To take back Rubio over the off-season Boston has to send out about $14.15 million. Thompson+Grant+Carsen doesn't quite get you there, and there isn't really a good reason for Minnesota to do that anyway. Thompson almost certainly pushes for a buyout right away, so they have to get something out of it.

Ultimately, Rubio isn’t at all worth it.  That said, the Wolves are $3 million shy of the tax mark with 12 players on the roster, so it’s not crazy to think they wouldn’t be interested in even a small amount of tax relief, although that’s an easier sell with Thompson going to a third team.

Also, if done before the new league year starts, Thompson, Grant and Edwards would work from a salary perspective.

Decide “it”.

Tristan Thompson could be the “it”. And you’re saying with the presence of Al Horford, Robert Williams III and Moses Brown for the big spot doesn’t make it (Thompson) expendable?

“It” being the cost of his $17.8 million salary, whatever assets are required to acquire him (expiring salaries count as an asset), and the loss of payroll flexibility due to having said $17.8 million salary on the books (be it confining us to the hard cap or the team’s internal budget) weighed against the marginal, if any, upgrade over Smart at PG, when our two biggest needs are a third scorer and someone who can give us at least 25 minutes a night at the 4.

TP. Multiple ways to go about this offseason and I see your points. PF, 3rd scorer (Fournier?) are needs. Rubio is also on an expiring contract. And if salaries match doesn’t it not matter? I see Rubio as a natural pg who would significantly upgrade the position. He is 2 years removed from 8.8 apg.

[Big333223]

Count me in the camp that $18 mil is too much for a backup pg.

[CBS_Take a Report]

Count me in the camp that $18 mil is too much for a backup pg.

He would immediately be our starting pg.

[gouki88]

Count me in the camp that $18 mil is too much for a backup pg.

He would immediately be our starting pg.

Which would be a problem, given his woeful inefficiency and his declining defence

[Big333223]

Count me in the camp that $18 mil is too much for a backup pg.

He would immediately be our starting pg.

Which would be a problem, given his woeful inefficiency and his declining defence

I actually don't think he would be our starting pg but even if he did start, that wouldn't change that he's a backup-caliber player in the NBA and, thus, not worth $18 mil a year.

[bogg]

In an imaginary world where Rubio gets traded to Boston for Thompson and one or two young guys, he'd probably have to be the starter simply because he's a one-position player while Smart can substitute in across four positions. You don't actually gain by going from Smart to Rubio in the starting lineup, that's a push at best, you gain by going from the Pritchard/Nesmith/Langford grab bag off the bench to Smart as a sixth man.

EDIT: You'd also better extend Smart if you're going to move him to the bench in a contract season for Ricky Rubio, or you risk running back the Terry Rozier situation.

[Vermont Green]

...our two biggest needs are a third scorer and someone who can give us at least 25 minutes a night at the 4.

I think this is the main point.  How about we go out and get a PF (play the 4) who is starter level, and can be our 3rd scorer at the same time?  Or our 3B scorer with Fournier as our 3A scorer?  Other than BKN, the 3rd scorer on the top teams is really not that high level of a player.  Who are the 3rd scorers for PHO, MIL, PHI, for example?

I would not mind giving up assets and adding salary for a PF but not for Rubio and not really for any PG that we could realistically expect to get.  I would far rather spend for a PF/4.  It is so clear that this is the greatest need.  Or just don't do anything big right now.

[bogg]

Other than BKN, the 3rd scorer on the top teams is really not that high level of a player.  Who are the 3rd scorers for PHO, MIL, PHI, for example?

Eh, they're more in-demand than you might think. Those team's third options are pretty much Ayton, Jrue Holiday, and Tobias Harris (or Ben Simmons, depending on how you look at it), so you're going recent #1 overall pick-max contract-max contract.