The Minnesota Timberwolves have acquired point guard Ricky Rubio and the 25th and 28th picks from the Oklahoma City Thunder in exchange for a package that includes the No. 17 pick, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Rubio was sent to the Thunder earlier this week as part of the Chris Paul trade. Now, he’s headed back to Minnesota, the team that drafted him with the No. 5 pick in the 2009 draft. Rubio spent his first six NBA seasons with the Timberwolves, averaging 10.3 points and 8.5 assists per game.
Heading into the draft, the Thunder had acquired a staggering 17 first-round draft picks through 2026. Most recently, Oklahoma City landed center Al Horford from the Sixers, along with a lightly-protected 2025 first-round pick and a 2020 second-round pick.
Rubio made 65 starts for the Suns last season, averaging a career-high 13.0 points per game to go along with 8.8 assists, 4.7 rebounds and 1.4 steals. He also shot a career-best 36.1% from the 3-point line on 3.3 attempts per game.
With the No. 17 pick acquired in this trade, the Thunder selected Serbian forward Aleksej Pokusevski.
