The Timberwolves have had difficulty getting Ricky Rubio to the NBA because teams are limited to spending $500,000 on foreign buyouts.

Rubio's buyout with DKV Joventut exceeds $8 million. Many believe that it doesn't make sense for the world's richest basketball league to have a set limit on buyout spending.

Frank Dell'Apa of the Boston Globe points out that Minnesota might have had a real shot at bringing Rubio to the NBA this season if the limit was around $3 million.

However, the $500,000 figure is unlikely to change as it is considered a minor issue in the grand scheme of things. The owners and players are concerned with revenue sharing, and talks have already begun on a new collective bargaining agreement.

"It could open a can of worms," former Real Madrid player Walt Szczerbiak said of the spending limit possibly being raised.

"The NBA wanted to protect teams, because they know how things work in Europe," Szczerbiak added. "They wanted to avoid [European clubs] taking advantage of them. They didn't want teams to be pressured into having to make a decision on paying [for a buyout] or not."