Cleveland Cavaliers Trade Rumors: Is Kevin Love On His Way Out?
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More changes on the way for the Cleveland Cavaliers?
If the rumors are true, it seems that Kevin Love is on the way out of Cleveland, just two-thirds of the first season into a multi-year contract signed during the offseason.
CBS Sports reports that the Cleveland Cavaliers have indeed begun to test the market on Kevin Love. Here is a note to any interested teams — if you want Kevin Love, get ready to pay a freight for the double-double machine. Because of what he makes, Love could only be moved to a team that can absorb his salary and send back salaries totaling within 15 percent of what the power forward makes.
Re: Kevin Love. League source says the Cavs have been shopping him around, but that the asking price is very high.
— Adam Himmelsbach (@AdamHimmelsbach) February 13, 2016
Kevin Love is set to earn $21.7 million this year. Again, he is in the first year of a five-year deal that escalates each season.
The Cleveland Cavaliers’ rumored interest in unloading Kevin Love makes sense. That is because of the coaching change that took place less than a month ago. Former Cavaliers’ coach David Blatt had a preference for the Princeton style of offense. New head coach Tyronn Lue wants the Cavs to run an up-tempo offense.
Kevin Love is not an ideal fit for what Lue envisions his team doing, and since the latter is going to be the scheme going forward, moving him for a player – or players – better suited has to be discussed.
What made Kevin Love an NBA All-Star is his penchant for hitting outside jump shots and grabbing tough rebounds. Love became a household name with the Minnesota Timberwolves playing this way. His career has become somewhat stagnant with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
It is difficult not to ponder how different things would have been had the Cavaliers not traded for Kevin Love in the 2014-15 offseason. Cleveland would have had Andrew Wiggins, who according to the current landscape in the NBA, would have been an excellent match.
Under the tutelage of LeBron James, Wiggins could have developed into a solid NBA defender as his offensive game grew. Meanwhile, Kevin Love would most likely have repeated as an All-Star last season as the Timberwolves top scoring option.
LeBron James on Kevin Love to Celtics rumor: “It’s false” https://t.co/jO0keNPKbl pic.twitter.com/WvTEN3On5d
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) February 13, 2016
With the Cleveland Cavaliers, Kevin Love is the third option, and he sometimes appears out of sync with LeBron James, guard Kyrie Irving, and other teammates. That is only adding fuel to the fire when it comes to the Kevin Love trade rumors. The buzz that keeps picking up steam is the rumor involving the NewYork Knicks.
In this trade rumor, Carmelo Anthony would join the Cavs, Love to the Boston Celtics, and the Knicks would receive center Timofey Mozgov and a package of draft picks and players. That was revealed by the New York Daily Post’s Frank Isola. It is a trade that would be a win-win for each team involved.
One of the disbelievers of the rumblings is LeBron James.
James told Cleveland.com that the rumors of a Kevin Love-Carmelo Anthony swap was false.
“It’s false. That’s the only thing, I can look at it and say it’s false. And that’s the last thing I was worrying about right now, and that’s trade talks for our team.”
LeBron James continues on to talk as if Kevin Love is there for the long haul.
“Obviously with myself and Kyrie and Kev, we kind of spearhead the whole thing. We’re focused on the main thing, knowing what the main thing is every day and we’ll give ourselves a great chance.”
No one doubts that, with Kevin Love, the Cleveland Cavaliers have a great chance to return to the NBA Finals. The NBA trade deadline is just days away though. Where there are rumors, could be substantial talks that are taking place. If the Cavaliers do not move Kevin Love before the deadline, it is highly likely that they will look to move him in the offseason.
(Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
