Cavs Notes: Ricky Rubio, Free Agency, Preseason

AKRON, Ohio — The Cavaliers are in no hurry to fill the point guard vacancy left by Ricky Rubio, according to Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com.

Rubio announced he is putting his pro career on hold as he focuses on mental health. The Cavs are giving him all the time and space he needs.

In the meantime, they will need to figure out what to do about the backup point guard spot. As Fedor wrote, newcomer Ty Jerome could help fill the role. Perhaps Sam Merrill, who stood out in summer league, could get minutes there. And the likes of Donovan Mitchell and even Caris LeVert could offer a few minutes of relief for starter Darius Garland.

Last season, coach J.B. Bickerstaff tried Cedi Osman (traded to Spurs) as a primary backup ballhandler a few times — so it’s a safe bet that Bickerstaff will try to get creative in that department again.

All that said, we are still more than a month away from the start of training camp in early October, so there’s still a chance the Cavs could sign someone or take a long look at a G-Leaguer in the preseason.

• Cavs GM Mike Gansey traveled to Spain to watch and “reconnect” with Rubio for the Spanish national team practices ahead of the FIBA World Cup, Fedor wrote. But Rubio stepped aside and Gansey ended up just taking a general scouting trip.
• Cleveland doesn’t know when Rubio will return, and again, the organization has no intentions of pressuring him to do so. He has two years and $12.5 million left on his contract.
• While the Cavs will certainly take a look at the list of available free agents, they aren’t likely to rush out and sign a point guard. Their focus remains on adding “playable depth” without factoring in position, Fedor added.
• The Cavs have spoken to the Hornets about unrestricted free agent forward P.J. Washington, though the sides have not come close on anything, as we relayed here. Basically, landing Washington in a sign-and-trade could be considered the longest of long shots.
• Cleveland visits Atlanta to open the preseason (Oct. 10). We have the full four-game schedule here.
• Also, we have the full schedule of the Play-In Tournament debut for each of the 30 teams right here.

Given the uncertain situation with #Cavs Ricky Rubio, does the team need to sign another point guard before the season starts? Plus, what is the deal with P.J. Washington?

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— Chris Fedor (@ChrisFedor) August 14, 2023