CLEVELAND — While they have yet to make a trade ahead of next month's deadline, reinforcements are on the way for the Cleveland Cavaliers. According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, point guard Ricky Rubio is expected to make his 2022-23 debut on Thursday when the Cavs face the Portland Trail Blazers.
"Rubio will practice Wednesday and if all goes well, play in Portland on Thursday," sources told Wojnarowski.
Should the 32-year-old point guard play in Portland on Thursday, it would mark his first NBA action since suffering a torn ACL in Cleveland's loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Dec. 28, 2021. Following the season-ending injury, the Cavs traded Rubio to the Indiana Pacers as a part of the deal to acquire swingman Caris LeVert, but re-signed the 2009 first-round pick to a three-year, $18.4 million contract after he became a free agent following the 2021-22 season.
Cleveland originally acquired Rubio from the Minnesota Timberwolves on the night of the 2021 NBA Draft. In 34 games, including eight starts, he proved to be a key member of the Cavs' rotation, averaging 13.1 points on .363 shooting (.339 from 3-point range), 6.6 assists and 4.1 rebounds.
Selected by the Timberwolves with the No. 5 overall pick of the 2009 draft, Rubio spent the first six seasons of his career in Minnesota before being traded to the Utah Jazz, where he teamed with now-Cavs star Donovan Mitchell for two seasons. The El Masnou, Spain, native spent the 2019-20 season with the Phoenix Suns before being reacquired by the Timberwolves for a season before being traded to Cleveland.