3 Cavaliers players who tanked their trade value in 2023

Ricky Rubio tanked his trade value

There was a stretch two years ago when Ricky Rubio looked like the veteran savior of the Cleveland Cavaliers franchise. He stepped into a high-minute bench role and was right there with Darius Garland as the best guard on the team. Then he tore his ACL, and the team traded him as matching salary to bring in Caris LeVert.

The team loved what Rubio brought to both the locker room and the court, so they signed him to a three-year deal the following summer. Rubio spent much of this past season rehabbing from his ACL injury, making his debut in January and playing in 33 games.

Rubio averaged 28 minutes, 13.1 points, 6.6 assists per game and shot 33.9 percent from deep in 2021-22 with the Cavs; this past season he could only handle 17 minutes per game, averaging only 5.2 points, 3.5 assists and shooting an abysmal 25.6 percent from deep.

In the playoffs, Rubio became unplayable. He wasn’t able to generate any sort of separation with the ball in his hands, and the New York Knicks ignored him when he spaced out to the 3-point line. Defensively he has lost some of his lateral movement, making him a poor choice as a stopper on players like Jalen Brunson.

Rubio’s $6.1 million salary for next season is a logical candidate to use in a trade to find an upgrade, but he played so poorly he is likely to have little-to-no value to other teams. His trade value tanked so spectacularly that the Cavaliers likely have to keep the 32-year-old and hope he plays better next season as his knee continues to heal.