NBA Roundtable

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Rubio’s Contract + Buyout Situation

In Draft on February 24, 2009 at 6:55 am

Draft Express gives a good run down on Ricky Rubio’s contractual situation and how it relates to whether he declares for the draft this season or next season

The news out of Spain last month was that Rubio’s team DKV Joventut had unilaterally decided to double his salary on the year, from 80,000 Euro to 160,000. This is obviously an attempt to get his pay closer in line with what his value is to the team, as he’s clearly their most important player. There’s been some talk that Rubio’s contract would not hold up in court if challenged, as a 6 million Euro buyout is obviously not proportionate to an 80,000 Euro contract. It’s highly unlikely that it would get to that, though.

According to David Carro, the Spanish partner of Rubio’s NBA agent, Dan Fegan, who we spoke with here at the Copa del Rey, there is “still a chance that Rubio could find his way into this year’s draft.” Negotiations are reportedly underway to lower his buyout to more manageable proportions, possibly 3-4 million Euro. A solution could come as early as “this month” Carro told us, and in that case, Rubio would be able to afford getting out of his contract if he were to be “a top-3 pick” (which he very likely is), as long as he could pay off the buyout over the course of his rookie deal. Asked why Joventut would have any reason to even negotiate considering the leverage they hold in this situation, Carro responded that Rubio is the “image of the team” and that they “would not want to have a mad player.”

Obviously the door has yet to be completely closed on Ricky Rubio and this year’s NBA draft, so we’ll have to stay tuned.

They also give a good report on Rubio’s recent play. Worth checking out.

Rubio is leading the ACB in both steals and assists. That’s impressive.

  1. Another article on Rubio and the 2009 draft

    Less information on the buyout in this SI.com article, but there are some very nice quotes on Rubio:

    But it’s not that easy. Rubio has a complicated, multimillion-dollar contract buyout with his Spanish team, DKV Joventut Barcelona. NBA teams are allowed to contribute a maximum of $500,000 to buy out the contract of a foreign player. That means if Rubio seeks to leave Joventut, he could be forced to use most of the money from his first NBA contract to pay for the buyout.

    “It’s going to be very tricky,” a Western Conference general manager said. “My understanding [has been] that he is not going to be in [the ’09] draft.”

    And now, the more interesting pieces of the article

    “Great talent. He’s poised, skilled,” an East GM said. “It’s not often that a guard like him comes along.”

    Scouts describe Rubio as a natural scorer with lightning-fast hands and a “genius” basketball IQ that has developed over years of playing professionally. Rubio is averaging 9.3 points, 6.4 assists and 2.1 steals in 21.0 minutes in the Spanish ACB League this season. Personnel evaluators say he needs to work on his shooting, but there’s little doubt about his readiness.

    “He’s a legitimate [NBA] pro right now,” the West GM said. “I don’t care how old he is, he is much more prepared for the NBA than any college player.”

    There will be no shortage of suitors for the potential franchise point guard whenever he jumps to the NBA.

    “We love him,” a West executive said. “We’re going to try to get him. But I don’t think we’re going to be the only ones.”

    Oh, and guess who is teammate is out in Spain? None other than Coby Karl. Great to hear he landed on his feet after leaving the NBA. Here’s what Coby has to say about his young teammate:

    “His knowledge and basketball IQ isn’t something you’ll find in an 18-year-old kid,” former Lakers guard Coby Karl, Rubio’s teammate in Spain, told the Denver Post. “He also has the great ability to distribute the ball. He’s pretty crafty. He has the ability to run a team and know situations, know how to pass the ball to everybody on the court. He’s got an advanced knowledge of a basketball team and professional basketball.”

    Dave 21 March 2009 at 5pm

  2. IMO, Ricky Rubio is going to be a Top Notch PG in the NBA, whenever he decides to declare for the Draft.

    At his size, with his skill set, and his Bball IQ, his chronological age is almost irrelevant.

    khandor 22 March 2009 at 11pm

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