The Cleveland Cavs are slowly unclogging the logjam they have on their front line, with Kevin Love expected to be the next big piece to go.
Rumors of Love getting traded has been prevalent even before he signed that surprising 4-year, $120m extension back in 2018. As the Cavs prepare to embrace yet another re-build, now is the perfect time to get the most trade value from their 5-time All-Star.
Kevin Love, 32, will be entering his 13th season in the 2020-21 campaign but has proven last year that he still has what it takes to contribute at a high level.
The 6-foot-8 stretch forward normed 17.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 3.2 assists in 56 games for the Wine and Gold. Kevin Love enjoyed great shooting numbers from the field at 45 percent, as well as from 3-point territory (37.4) and from the charity stripe (85.4). Love is still in contract for three more seasons worth roughly around a $17.2 million trade exception.
Having already won a title back in 2016, it’s clear that the former Bruin still longs to be a part of a championship-seeking team before he reaches the twilight of his career. Kevin Love won’t get that opportunity anytime soon if he sticks with Cleveland.
Luckily for Love, there are plenty of strong contenders who still value what he brings to the table. Let’s have a look at three teams who should pursue a trade for Kevin Love.
Golden State Warriors
Kevin Love has been one of the most consistent big man shooters in the league for quite some time now. He practically embodies the entire Warriors mantra. He’ll fit right in as the third “Splash Brother”, while his rebounding and fantastic court vision give them another skilled frontcourt guy alongside Draymond Green.
Plus, Kevin Love already has a great relationship with Dubs injured superstar Klay Thompson, considering they were childhood friends and Little League teammates.
The Warriors already made it clear that they are in a win-now mode, and they do need to find another marksman to take Klay’s place.
The dilemma for the Dubs, however, is to come up with an enticing package for the Cavs to bite. They already traded a first-round pick to OKC for Kelly Oubre, but they still have some nice young pieces they could offer for Kevin Love. A deal involving Andrew Wiggins (again) should balance out the numbers — that is if the Cavs actually want Wig this time around.
Houston Rockets
The departure of analytics master Daryl Morey and ex-head coach Mike D’Antoni signals that big men are again welcome in Clutch City. Hello, Kevin Love.
With new tactician Stephen Silas now calling the shots on the bench, the Rockets appear they will forego small ball next year with the signings of Christian Wood and DeMarcus Cousins.
They already have two new frontcourt pieces, so why add another one in Kevin Love? In reality, Wood is a promising player but is still relatively unproven. Boogie, on the other hand, has four All-Star appearances to his belt, but it remains unclear if he’ll ever get back to that level after major injuries.
Kevin Love has already reached the top of the mountain and would be a godsend to a team that has yet to climb that hurdle.
The Rockets are likely to keep both James Harden and Russell Westbrook, so might as well give them more help to entice them to stay. Westbrook and Love were former college teammates at UCLA, so the rapport is already established.
But like the Dubs, the Rockets might also have to get creative with a trade package in order to make space for Love’s salary. Houston will likely have to rely on a third team for a potential deal to likely happen.
Boston Celtics
Kevin Love recently bid farewell to his former Cavs teammate and good friend Tristan Thompson after he accepted a two-year, $19 million deal in Beantown.
If Danny Ainge plays his cards right, Kevin Love can soon reunite with TT and reinforce the C’s frontcourt.
The Celtics’ phenomenal run in 2019-20 was practically due to their terrific guards and wing players. Had they had more talent up front, maybe it could have been Boston who could have emerged out of the East last year.
Kevin Love’s well-rounded skillset will be maximized by Celtics head coach Brad Stevens. He’ll put the 32-year-old in situations where he can be most effective. Love addresses the Celtics' need for more scoring in the interior, while his ability to stretch the floor opens more room to operate for Kemba Walker, Jayson Tatum, and Jaylen Brown.
The Celtics could have worked on a deal centering around Gordon Hayward, but they lost that opportunity when he opted out and signed a massive deal with the Charlotte Hornets.
However, Boston still has both their draft picks for 2021 and 2022, and maybe they could use that as bait to pry Kevin Love away from Cleveland.
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