The Cleveland Cavaliers have been relatively silent amid a frantic opening to NBA free agency. They’ve made their first significant move of the offseason to bring back a familiar face in Ricky Rubio.
The news was reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski with the contract details being filled in by Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes moments later:
Free agent guard Ricky Rubio is nearing a deal on a return to the Cleveland Cavaliers, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 1, 2022
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Free agent guard Ricky Rubio has reached an agreement with the Cleveland Cavaliers on a three-year, $18.4 million deal, league sources tell @YahooSports.
— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) July 1, 2022
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The Spaniard was playing some of the best basketball of his career last season with the Cavs before an untimely ACL injury derailed his campaign.
Rubio averaged a career-high 13.1 points to go along with 6.6 assists per game last season. He also offered a veteran presence on a roster being led by three young studs in Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen, and Evan Mobley.
Ricky wasn’t a consistent scoring presence but he did have some monster offensive displays that seemed off-brand from his reputation as a primary playmaker. He poured in a career-high 37 points with 10 assists in a blowout win against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on just 19 shots.
He was right in the middle of one of his best all-around performances ever during his last Cavs game against the New Orleans Pelicans right before he got injured. He tallied 27 points, 13 rebounds, and nine assists in a four-point defeat – with the even bigger loss being Rubio’s availability for a Cleveland team that sorely needed him with the earlier injury to Collin Sexton.
Hopefully Ricky Rubio can find some of that magic once again and regain his form to help Cleveland finish the job they started last season.
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