NBA first round draft pick Ricky Rubio Wednesday said he wanted to leave his current Spanish club DKV Joventut after a contract buyout fallout between the two sides.
Rubio, the fifth overall pick selected by NBA franchise Minnesota Timberwolves, is at odds with his boyhood club over a buyout clause that could cost the 18-year-old point guard as much as 6.6 million U.S. dollars.
He has two years remaining on his contract with Joventut.
Timberwolves president David Kahn was in Spain this week to try and help negotiate a buyout but the NBA's collective bargaining rules limit the Timberwolves' contribution to 500,000 dollars.
Rubio said he would leave anyway since the conflict made both sides uncomfortable.
Rubio signed with Joventut at 14 years old, becoming the youngest player ever to play in a Spanish ACB League game. He rose to prominence over the next few years, playing for Spain's silver medal-winning team in the Beijing Olympics at 17.
Minnesota drafted him fifth overall in June and holds his NBA rights for as long as Rubio is playing basketball professionally.
(Xinhua News Agency July 23, 2009)
