CLEVELAND — Editor's note: the video in the player above is from the June 30 episode of The Ultimate Cleveland Sports Show.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have reportedly made their first move of the free agency period on Friday morning.
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the team is nearing a deal to bring back point guard Ricky Rubio to the roster.
Rubio spent part of last season on the roster in Cleveland after being acquired in an offseason trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He played in 34 games with the Cavs, starting eight of them, before tearing the ACL in his left knee in late December. Rubio was ruled out for the season before being traded to the Indiana Pacers as part of the trade for Caris LeVert.
According to Yahoo! Sports’ Chris Haynes, the deal for Rubio is for three years, worth $18.4 million.
Rubio, 31, will be entering his 12th season in the NBA. He originally was the fifth overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves. He spent the first six years of his NBA career in Minnesota before being traded to Utah for two years, spending a season with the Phoenix Suns, and one year back in Minnesota before the trade to Cleveland last summer.
While with the Cavs, Rubio averaged 13.1 points and 6.6 assists per game while playing 28.5 minutes. Rubio was a big part of Cleveland’s success, especially after the season-ending injury to guard Collin Sexton in November. When Rubio shared the floor with All-Star guard Darius Garland, the team outscored its opponents by 16.1 points per 100 possessions, making them the best two-man combination that played at least 150 minutes together last season for the Cavaliers.
Rubio and Cavs forward Kevin Love also had a strong performance together last season, as the pair used some of their familiarity from their days together in Minnesota to outscore opponents by 11.9 points per 100 possessions in 429 minutes. In fact, Rubio was part of six of the team’s 10 best two-man combinations that played at least 150 minutes together, according to net rating.
It is unknown when Rubio will be available to be on the floor for the Cavs this season, as it would not come as a surprise if he does not start the season on time due to his knee injury from last season.