Reports suggest that Cavaliers have ‘serious doubts’ if Ricky Rubio will ‘ever play again’

Back in August, Ricky Rubio announced that he would take a break from professional basketball as he needed to treat his mental health. However, the season started two months ago and he’s yet to appear with the Cavaliers. According to NBA insiders Joe Vardon and Shams Charania, there are “serious doubts” that the veteran will “ever play again.”

The reporters confirmed that the point guard, who has been on “permitted leave in Spain from the team since the summer as he manages his mental health,” isn’t expected to be return to Cleveland this campaign.

Now that the Cavs are dealing with many injuries on their rosters, they are in need of depth in their backcourt. This is why the latest reports suggest that the administration is working on a potential “parting of ways” with the Spaniard.

The Cleveland Cavaliers and Ricky Rubio have begun discussing a potential parting of ways amid doubts about Rubio resuming an NBA career that has spanned 12 seasons, league sources say.

Story at @TheAthletic with @joevardon: https://t.co/ty9st8gqhg

— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) December 20, 2023

The 33-year-old first joined the Ohio franchise through a trade in 2021, and at the time was the fourth time he was moved in the same amount of years. In July 2022, he returned to Cleveland with a three-year, $18.4 million deal but never played as he was traded out to Indiana and then fell to injury.

Rubio is making $6.1 million this current campaign and next season his contract guarantees him $42.25. “The Cavs and Rubio’s representatives could negotiate a buyout of a substantial portion of the contract. They could also waive him and ‘stretch’ the payments of his remaining salary over a longer period, or, perhaps, include his contract in a trade,” the report reads.

“Cleveland’s front office wants to do right by Rubio, whom the organization still considers a major piece of the team’s resurgence during the 2021-22 campaign, when the Cavs went from the worst team in the NBA over the previous three years to a Play-In team,” it says.

Ricky, who was once the fifth overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, played his first six years with the Timberwolves. By 2017, he was sent two seasons to the Utah Jazz and another in Phoenix, before returning to Minnesota in 2020.

The insiders’ report noted that Rubio has been managing an “ongoing family issue” and “is not believed to be engaging in basketball activities to stay sharp.”

Back in August, the veteran guard first announced his mental health issues and bailed out of the FIBA World Cup

Just as he was expected to represent Spain in this summer’s FIBA World Cup, Ricky released a statement alongside his nation’s basketball federation saying that he wasn’t going to participate in the international tournament as he needed some time off to treat his mental health.

“I have decided to stop my professional activity to take care of my mental health. I want to thank the Spanish Federation (FEB) for all the support I have received. They understood my decision. Today #LaFamilia makes more sense than ever. Thank you. I would ask that my privacy be respected so that I can face these moments and be able to give more information when the time is right,” it reads.

Despite rumors of him returning to Barcelona to end his career, the veteran guard expressed that he still needed to figure out his contract situation with the Cavaliers.

“I’m beginning to consider my return. Going home. To Barcelona. Close to home,” he said during the offseason. “I have two years left on my contract. Maybe one. We’ll see.”