The Utah Jazz reached an agreement with the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday to acquire point guard Ricky Rubio.

The Jazz gave up a 2018 first-round pick to acquire the veteran known for skilled passing and dogged defense. The team officially announced the deal Friday evening.

The pick sent to Minnesota was acquired from Oklahoma City when the Jazz traded Enes Kanter in 2015. Utah was able to acquire Rubio with salary cap space that would have expired when the free-agent signing period opened at midnight EDT Saturday.

The trade comes against the backdrop of Utah’s crucial pursuit to retain now-free agent Gordon Hayward, and Rubio’s arrival likely means the end of George Hill’s short run in Utah.

> Jazz point guard scenario to influence Hayward decision

At 26 years old, Rubio is due about $14.2 million for the 2017-18 season and $14.8 million for 2018-19. The 31-year-old George Hill is likely to demand a four-year deal at more than $20 million per season.

Hill averaged a career-high 16.9 points after being traded from the Pacers to the Jazz last summer. Injuries, however, limited him to 49 games and caused Hill to miss the final three playoff games against the Warriors.

Rubio started to deliver on his potential last season. Over the last 2 1/2 months of the season, he averaged 15.0 points and 10.3 assists per game while shooting 41.7 percent from the field and 37 percent from 3-point range, helping to take some of the scoring load after Zach LaVine went down with his own torn ACL.

Rubio averaged a career-high 9.1 assists per game and 89.1 percent shooting from the free-throw line.

The performance was validating for a player who had been criticized during most of his NBA career for his poor shooting, and for an owner who had backed him through all the injuries, all the shooting struggles and through the heartbreaking death of his mother during the 2015-16 season.

Associated Press reporter Kareem Copeland and Standard-Examiner reporter Brett Hein contributed to this report.