The Cleveland Cavaliers have reached a buyout agreement with guard Ricky Rubio, the team announced on Thursday.
Rubio, 33, has been away from the team since the start of the 2023-24 season after he walked away from the team due to mental health issues over the summer.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, if Rubio plays professionally again, it will likely be in his native Spain.
“Ricky Rubio embodied everything a franchise would want from such an accomplished player, who helped instill a confidence and leadership quality that still resonates within our team,” said Cavs president of basketball operations Koby Altman in a press release. “When you measure his impact, particularly during the 2021-22 season, Ricky was instrumental in our 22-win improvement that year. His willingness to mentor our younger players speaks to the gravity of his tenure in Cleveland and the success we are having with this current Cavaliers group. We wish Ricky nothing but the best and remain supportive of his decision to continue focusing on his mental health.”
Rubio posted this statement on X about stepping away from the NBA:
— Ricky Rubio (@rickyrubio9) January 4, 2024
Originally drafted by the Timberwolves with the fifth overall selection in the 2009 NBA Draft, the 12-year NBA veteran was a 2012 NBA All-Rookie First-Team selection.
A longtime member of the Spanish National Team, Rubio has played in three Olympics (2020, 2016, 2008), winning silver in 2008 and bronze in 2016. He also led Spain to a gold medal in the 2019 FIBA World Cup.
In two seasons with the Cavaliers (2021-22, 2022-23), Rubio appeared in 67 games (10 starts) with averages of 9.2 points, 5.1 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 22.9 minutes.
During the 2021-22, his best in Cleveland, Rubio appeared in 34 games (eight starts) with a career-high tying average of 13.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 6.6 assists, and 1.44 steals in 28.5 minutes before missing the final 48 games with a season-ending ACL tear.
Before the injury, Rubio became one of 12 active NBA players to record 5,000 career assists.
Rubio was traded to Indiana on February 7, 2022, after his injury in a deal that brought Caris LeVert to Cleveland, but he did not appear in a game for the Pacers.
He resigned with the Cavaliers as a free agent on July 7, 2022, and appeared in 33 games during the 2022-23 season, making his season debut on January 12 at Portland, where he chipped in nine points and three rebounds in 10 minutes off the bench. It was his first game back since suffering the ACL injury on December 28, 2021, at New Orleans.
Rubio has appeared in 698 games (603 starts) with Minnesota, Utah, Phoenix, and Cleveland, holding career averages of 10.8 points, 4.1 rebounds, 7.4 assists and 1.76 steals in 29.6 minutes. He currently has the 10th-most assists among active NBA players (5,160) and has also averaged more than 6.0 assists and at least 1.30 steals in 10 of his 12 NBA seasons.
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