The number 5 pick in this years NBA entry draft, Ricky Rubio, is changing his tune somewhat and now wants to play in the NBA next season. No doubt the NBA, and more importantly, the Minnesota Timberwolves, would love to have Rubio suiting up this coming season. Rubio’s club, DKV Joventut, is more than willing to let him go. There is just a little problem, an $8.55 million buyout that the Timberwolves are unable to pay for due to the current collective bargaining agreement restrictions that limits an NBA club from paying more than $500,000 towards a buyout of players outside the NBA.

Here we have a kid who wants to play in the NBA, has a team that is willing to pay him to do so but a technicality in the system will force a highly marketable individual to stay in Europe and play for one of several clubs bidding for his services.


European clubs such as Olympiakos of Greece and Real Madrid offered Rubio $5 million contracts while Regal Barcelona came in at $3.6 million. These clubs still have to negotiate the buyout of his current contract but they don’t have the same financial support restrictions as the Timberwolves.

Something doesn’t seem right if the NBA, the richest and most prestigious basketball league in the world, is being outbid. An obvious solution would be for the NBA to increase the buyout limit when the next CBA is negotiated.

For now, it doesn’t look to good for the Timberwolves who seem to have their hands tied. A possible solution to the situation would a sponsorship deal that would pay Rubio enough so that he could buy himself out of his contract. The problem with that is Rubio wasn’t exactly a class act after the draft and he left a sour taste in the mouths of not only Minnesotans but of basketball fans in general.

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