The Cavs’ Ricky Rubio question: Trade, keep or extend?

The Cleveland Cavaliers had a serious point guard problem last season. Darius Garland was playing the position for the first time in the NBA, and the only backup on the team was the oft-injured Matthew Dellavedova. They combined for just 63 games overall in a 72-game season. Yogi Ferrell, Dante Exum and Quinn Cook were among the journeyman options rotated through the position.

The Cavs addressed that problem in a major way this offseason, trading Taurean Prince and a second-round pick for Ricky Rubio, in the last year of a three-year, $51 million contract. The veteran guard was at the nadir of his value on a non-competitive Minnesota Timberwolves team.

This season has been an entirely different story, with Rubio having a serious bounceback campaign. He is averaging a career-high 13.8 points in a high-minute role off the bench, chipping in four rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game.

Ricky Rubio is having a resurgent bounceback year for the Cavs. Should they trade the veteran point guard, extend him, or stand pat and keep him?

For now, Rubio has stabilized the bench and provided veteran mentorship to Darius Garland, who is having a great season of his own. The Cavs now always have a steady floor general on the court, and often have two as Rubio and Garland play alongside him. They are playing exceptionally well, and are fresh off their fourth-straight dominant win over the Washington Wizards.

The question now becomes a look ahead. Rubio is in the last year of his contract, and has proven himself worthy of the dollar figure. Do the Cavs view the 31-year old Rubio as a part of their core? On the flip side, does Rubio seem like he will want to stay in Cleveland as a long-term backup, or will he bolt in free agency for a chance at starting?

The Cavs have three options ahead of them over the next couple of months before the trade deadline. The first is to trade Rubio to a contender, getting young pieces or draft capital back for a veteran player who is healthy and playing well, which may not always be the case. The second is to extend him, tacking on multiple seasons to keep him under contract past this summer. Finally, the Cavs could simply keep him, letting the season play out and then making a decision on a contract offer this offseason.

Which option is best? Let’s go through each and breaks down the pros and cons of all three paths.