NBA Rumors: Ricky Rubio May Leave Jazz Over Priority Issues; Celtics A 'Potential Destination'

After a terrible loss against the Houston Rockets in the playoffs, Ricky Rubio has just unveiled what his current team thinks about him this offseason. On the way to free agency, the Jazz point guard said that his team does not see him as a priority.

In a Spanish radio interview, Rubio made it clear that at this point, the Jazz had let him know that he is “not priority number one.” This has led to some speculating that the Jazz are currently not willing to put in effort to keep the Spanish point guard in their roster, Sporting News noted.

In addition to this, the Jazz have already tried to trade Rubio in the past, but unfortunately, the deal did not materialize during the last minute of the trade deadline.

According to Heat Nation, the Miami Heat has been open with regards to making changes in their current roster in the hopes of improving the team’s performance. As a result, Rubio and Jae Crowder were once almost part of a big trade deadline deal that would land Heat point guard Goran Dragic to the Jazz.

This is not really the first time Rubio and the Jazz have made headlines. In the past, the team dealt with Rubio’s health issues as the Spanish point guard has been in and out due to several injuries.

It is not impossible that Rubio’s past issues with injuries may have affected the Jazz's decision-making and priority-setting, which possibly led to Rubio not being the no. 1 priority as he hit free agency.

In mid-May, Rubio was reportedly interested in joining the Boston Celtics. Reports claimed that Rubio’s “potential destination” might be the Celtics as the veteran point guard becomes a free agent this offseason, Celtics Wire noted.

Rubio will become a free agent on June 30, and with the way he helped the Jazz this season, including the postseason, it is safe to say that teams will be turning their heads for the eight-year veteran guard.

Rubio had his best season with the Jazz back in 2017. He averaged 13 points per game with a 41.8 percent field goal efficiency.

This season, Rubio managed to be healthy enough and led the Jazz in assists, averaging 6.1 assists per game. He was also second in steals, with 1.3 steals per game.

During the postseason, Rubio delivered impressive numbers despite the Jazz being eliminated. In five playoff games, he averaged 15.4 points and 8.6 assists per game.