Two teams in Spanish’s top ACB league — Real Madrid and Unicaja Malaga — are trying to negotiate to reach an agreement with his current DKV Joventut team on that big buyout and sign him.
Real Madrid has more clout, but Unicaja Malaga looks like the favorite if he stays in Europe because of Rubio’s close relationship with Malaga coach “Aito” Garcia Reneses, who coached him at Joventut and also was the Spanish Olympic team’s head coach last summer in Beijing and because Rubio would rather live in beautiful Malaga closer to his hometown than big Madrid.
Unicaja, a financial institution that sponsors the Malaga team, is, according to reports, is willing to pay a good chunk — but not all — of the $6.6 million buyout Rubio owes if he wants release from the final two years of his contract. The bank figures Rubio would become an iconic marketing figure for them in Spain, much like Pau Gasol or Rafael Nadal.
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